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iio-; 


The  Rainproof  Invention 


OR 


SOME  TANGLED  THREADS 


By  EMILY  WEAVER 

Author   „f.._,r„    ,.,„/  , 


BOSTON  AND  CHICAGO: 


R 


Copyright,  189G, 
BY  Congregational  Sunday-School  anu  Publishinc.  hociety. 


*  ;| 


CONTKNTS. 


CHAPTKR  PACK 

I.  — TiiK  NoiMUiKY  Mills 5 

IT.  — TiiK  NouHiiKY  II<nisi,n()Li> t6 

III.  — Anotiiku  Family  or  Teihkk 'ii» 

IV.  — TiiK  (Jkkat  Man  iiAH  A  Kali 40 

v.  — FOH   liKSSIK'S   SaKF,  —  AN1>    HlS   OWN      ....  iVi 

VI.  —  Arthuu  Lfstkh ti" 

VII.  — A  Lesson  i\  I)ksignin(j      T8 

VIII.  — "Work  AND  Waoks" 89 

"X.  — Elsik  in  Mischikk 102 

X.  —  Mrs.  NoKiJUur's  "  At  HoMK" 114 

XI.  — Bkiiind  a  Lockki)  Door 125 

XII.  — Bob's  Unwklcome  (iuEsT 135 

XIII.  — The  W.  I.  I.  a 148 

XIV.  — On  thk  Downward  Road 102 

XV.  — Arthtr's  shoes IT.i 

XVI. —  Rather  too  Friendly li)l 

XVII.  — Pisgrackd '203 

XVIII.  —  Gleams  OF  Light 217 

XIX.  — The  Happiest  Man  in  the  World    ....  22S 

XX.  —  Deceived  and  Deceiving 240 

XXL  — LiNKLLY 247 

XXII.  — In  THE  Gray  Dawn 250 

XXIII.  —  "  A  Lot  OK  Little  Accidents" 267 

XXIV.  — Delusions 278 

XXV.  — Trying  TO  RK  Thirl 289 

XXVI. -Tea  and  Talk 298 

XXVIL  — Trodden  Under  Foot 312 


CONTENTS. 


rilAPTKR  p^Q  , 

XXVIII.  — Rkd  Brurirs 322 

XXIX.  — TliK  Way  OK  TRAN8(JitK8soKS 886 

XXX.  — "But  Onck  A  Ykak" 347 

XXXI.  —  MlDNKJIlT  IN  THK   MlIJ 3(50 

XXXII. —  Face  TO  F'ack  wiTir  Dkath 373 

XXXIII.— O^  OK  ItKAClI 3S0 

XXXIV.  — Two  Bridals 394 

XXXV. —  After  Seven  Years 402 


PAG  • 

.  3'22 

.  830 

.  347 

.  3ti0 

.  373 

.  3H6 

.  394 

.  402 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION 


CHAPTER   I. 


THE    NORBURY    MILLS. 


IT  was  a  dull  day ;  not  stormy,  nor  windy,  nor 
particularly  foggy  for  Wharton,  but  dull  — 
depressingly  dull.  Business  was  dull  too.  Not  a 
customer  had  been  in  to  vary  the  tedious  monotony 
of  the  morning,  and  there  was  almost  nothing  to  be 
done ;  consequently,  the  clerks  were  dull  too.  It 
was  provoking  to  sit  for  hours  over  work  that  they 
suspected  had  been  given  to  them  mainly  to  fill  up 
the  time.  It  really  was  not  fair,  so  they  worked 
with  a  sense  of  injury  upon  them  that  deepened  the 
despondency  proper  to  the  weather  into  something 
little  short  of  despair.  Was  there  ever  so  long  a 
morning  ? 

"Another  hour  yet!"  groaned  Bob  Littleton  with 
a  lugubrious  glance  at  the  clock.  "  I  can't  see  the  use 
of  all  this,  Mr.  Milwood." 

Mr.  Mil  wood  made  no  aLJwcr.  Perhaps  he  did  not 
hear,  or  perhaps  he  did  not  see  the  use  of  it  either. 
Immediately  afterwards  he  was  called  away  to  Mr. 


6 


THE    RAfXrnOOF   INVENTION. 


Norburv's  piiviilc  room,  and  Hob  ioho  from  liiH  scat 
and  went  to  rcficHli  liim.Hi'lf  by  a  ratlirr  lengthened 
examination  of  the  <lin«i;y  street  pavement  and  the 
snioke-l)egrimed  walls  opposite.  He  soon  decided 
that  the  prospect  outside  was  even  diiUer  than  that 
witliin,  and  was  returnin}^  to  his  seat  disconsohite, 
when  lie  stopped  and  exclaimed  in  a  surprisingly 
cheerful  tone,  "Why,  I  do  believe  that  there  is  some- 
body coming  in  ! " 

The  other  clerks  perceptibly  brightened,  straight- 
ened thems(!lves  up,  and  began  to  work  more  ener- 
getically, while  Bob  advanced  towards  the  little  railing 
near  the  door,  that  defended  the  sacred  precincts  of 
the  olfice  from  intrusion.  The  stranger  was  a  young 
man,  tall  and  slightly  built,  with  fair  hair,  rather 
sharply  cut  features,  and  keen  blue-gray  eyes  that  it 
was  ditticult  to  believe  were  shortsighted,  in  spite  of 
the  glasses  with  which  their  owner  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  supplement  their  powers  of  vision.  There  was 
a  certain  briskness  about  the  bearing  of  the  newcomer 
that  took  Bo))'s  fancy  at  onc(^  A  more  complete  con- 
trast could  hanlly  be  imagined  than  he  presented  to 
the  jaded  toilers  at  the  desks.  When  he  spoke  it  was 
in  a  quiet,  decided  tone  that  suited  the  satirical,  ''wide- 
awake" exMression  of  his  face.  He  had  come,  he 
said,  to  inquire  about  a  position  that  he  understood 
was  vacant. 


THE  NORDVRY  MILLS. 


^  J 


*'  Mr.  Noibiiry  is  onf^Mjji'd  at  present,"  sivid  Bob, 
*'  but  if  yell  (!iin  wail  a  fi!\v  minutes,  come  in.  If  you 
can't,  i)oilia|)H  y«)U  would  like  t(»  leave  a  message,  and 
I  will  let  you  know  what  ho  Hays." 

''Thank  you.  I  Ml  wait.  I  'm  in  no  hurry.  Much 
obliiii'd  to  voii  all  till!  same." 

'-'  I  can't  understand  what  Mr.  Norbury  wants  with 
anotlur  fellow,"  sal*'  Hob.  "  We  have  had  nothing  to 
do  all  morning,  and  another  of  us  would  only  make  it 
worse." 

"  I  heard  that  Mr.  Norbury  has  a  very  large 
busint'ss." 

"  It's  [)retty  fair,  thanks  to  the  patent." 

"What  patent?"'  asked  the  other,  now  comfortably 
established  on  on(^  of  the  high  office  stools,  with  his 
back  against  the  desk. 

"  Don't  you  know?  Why,  tlie  Norbury  patent  rain- 
proof cloth,  to  l)e  sure  !  The  best  material  for  cloaks 
and  traveling  garments  ever  invented,  —  cool,  light, 
durable,  and  odorless,  — made  in  all  shades  and  several 
qualities ;  warranted  to  stand  dust,  sun,  mud,  snow, 
and  rain  ;  wears  for  years  "  — 

''  Shut  up,  Littleton !  "  growled  one  of  the  others. 
"You're  worse  than  old  Norbury's  most  flaming 
advertisement." 

"Well,  anyway,"  ran  on  Bob,  "the  patent  has 
made  his  fortune.     He  was  as  poor  as  Job  before  he 


8 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


found  it  out.  They  do  say  he 's  working  at  another, 
something  that  '11  beat  the  old  one  all  to  nothing ; 
and  sure  enough,  he  spends  hours  in  nn  old  den  he 
has  upstairs,  locked  up  with  a  lot  of  powders  and 
bottles,  and  I  don't  know  what,  but  he  's  precious  close 
about  it.  I  doubt  if  even  Miss  Norbury  knows  what 
he's  at;  and  of  course  it  will  be  hers  some  day -— 
mill  and  patent  and  business  and  all." 

"  Miss  Norbury  will  never  trouble  her  head  about 
it !  "  exclaimed  Charley  Milwood  (the  youngest  clerk  in 
the  oR^o?)  with  an  indescribable  air  of  condescension. 
*'  Ladies  can't  be  expected  to  understand  business." 

"  My  dear  boy,  there  are  ladies  and  ladies,"  replied 
Bob.  "  Some  of  them  know  a  great  deal  more  about 
business  than  you  ever  will,  if  you  live  to  be  a  hun- 
dred.    I  dare  venture  to  say  that  Miss  Norbury  "  — 

"  I  wish,  Littleton,  that  you  would  be  quiet  and 
permit  us  to  do  our  work,  even  if  you  do  not  intend 
to  do  any  more,"  interrupted  a  young  man  who  had 
not  before  spoken  ;  but  his  tones  of  displeasure  had 
no  effect  upon  Bob. 

"I'm  sure,  Warrington,  that  there  can  be  no  harm 
in  saying  that  Miss  Norbury  is  quite  capable  of  under- 
standing whatever  her  father  might  choose  to  tell 
her,  but  you  are  always  so  des[)erately  touchy  about 
her.  Would  you  believe  it,"  he  added,  turning  to  the 
newcomer  again,  "  Warrington  thinks  that  no  one  but 


THE  NOBBURY  MILLS. 


9 


'A 

■J 


himself  has  a  right  to  mention  her?     I  admire  her  as 
much  as  any  one,  and  I  can't  help  speaking  of  her." 

"You  talk  too  much  of  everything,"  retorted 
Warrington,  without  looking  up  from  his  work. 

Bob  was  not  much  abashed  by  this  comprehensive 
rebuke,  but  rattled  on  to  the  stranger,  —  who,  by  the 
way,  had  given  his  name  as  Mark  Stanton,  —  "  Every 
one  who  comes  into  this  office  always  falls  in  love 
with  Miss  Norbury.  It  ^^  the  proper  thing  to  do. 
From  Warrington  down  to  little  Charley  there,  we  all 
adore  Miss  Norbury  !  " 

Stanton  glanced  quickly  from  one  to  the  othor. 
Sharp  as  he  was,  he  could  make  nothing  of  Bob's 
face  ;  the  innocent  gravity  with  which  he  made  this 
extraordinary  statement  was  sublime,  but  Warrington, 
in  spite  of  his  efforts  to  look  unconscious,  blushed 
angrily,  and  "little  Charley's"  dignity  became  amaz- 
ing to  see !  It  was  a  capital,  half-unconscious,  but 
most  absurd  imitation  of  Ralph's  manner  when  he 
was  offended. 

Charley  Milwood  had  a  warm  admiration  for  the 
handsome  cashier,  and  it  was  the  height  of  his  ambi- 
tion to  become  like  him.  Unfortunately,  he  was 
doomed  to  be  disappointed,  for  nature  had  made  the 
two  on  totally  different  plans.  Charley  was  rather  a 
good-looking  little  fellow,  but  was  very  small  and 
slight,  and  though  he  had  not  yet  given  up  all  hope  of 


10 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENIION. 


growing,  was  likely  to  be  small  and  slight  to  the  end. 
Ralph  Warrington  was  a  remarkably  fine-looking  man, 
broad-shouldered,  tall,  and  straight.  His  figure  was 
perhaps  a  little  too  stitf  and  unbending,  but  it  was 
splendidly  proportioned.  His  clear-cut  features  of  al- 
most classic  beauty,  blue  eyes,  and  a  carefully  trimmed 
beard  of  a  rather  reddish  hue,  complete  the  picture. 
He  was  several  years  older  than  Bob,  and,  holding  a 
responsible  position  in  the  oHlce,  felt  perfectly  justi- 
fied in  keeping  his  juniors  as  much  at  a  distance  as 
possible.  Besides,  —  Ralph  never  spoke  of  this,  but 
perhaps,  for  that  leason,  thought  of  it  the  more,  —  he 
was  descended  from  a  once  noble  family,  which  had 
lost  both  title  and  estates  in  the  disastrous"  forty-five." 
His  father  an<l  his  grandfather  before  him  had  re- 
ceived none  of  the  family  honors  and  advantages 
except  the  traditions  of  past  glories.  Their  very 
name  was  changed.  Time  had  been  when  a  Sir  Ralph 
de  Warriniiton  had  led  his  <>"allant  followers  to  victorv 
on  the  field  of  Creyy  ;  when  the  Baron  clc  Warrington 
had  kissed  the  fair  hand  of  luckless  Lady  Jane, 
dying  for  her  sake  on  the  scaffold  ;  and  when  another 
de  Warrington,  granted  an  earldom  at  the  Restoration, 
had  kept  his  oaths  of  fealty  through  good  report  and 
ill,  and  had  so  tutored  his  son  in  loyalty  to  the  Stuarts 
that  he  had  thrown  away  his  all  for  their  worthless 
sak  :s.     It  was  many  years  since  the  aristocratic  "  de  " 


THE  NOBBUBY  MILLS. 


11 


had  been  dropi)ed  from  their  name  bv  some  repre- 
sentative of  the  family  with  a  keen  sense  of  its 
incongruity  with  liis  present  surroundings,  but  Ralph 
regretted  it  yet.  In  private  he  often  solaced  himself 
with  the  contemplation  of  a  great  roll  of  parchment, 
on  which  the  family  pedigree  was  set  forth,  and  the 
last  names  on  the  list  were  Ralph  and  Maud  de 
Warrington,  written  in  a  hand  that,  in  spite  of  itself, 
was  strongly  suggestive  of  account  books  and  ledgers. 

It  was  a  ilaily  trial  to  this  descendant  of  barons 
and  earls  to  associate  on  equal  terms  with  men  of  no 
family,  like  Bob  Littleton  and  Mr.  Milwood,  and  to 
take  his  orders  from  the  lips  of  one  whose  boast  was 
that  he  was  a  "-self-made  man."  He  wished  himself 
back  in  the  Middle  Ages,  lord  of  a  feudal  castle  and 
of  submissive  serfs  and  vassals.  Alas  !  he  had  been 
born  some  centuries  too  late.  The  old  distinction  of 
his  family  was  utterly  forgotten,  or  was  remembered 
only  to  point  the  careless  jests  of  Bob  Littleton  and 
such  as  he. 

But  plebeian  labor  for  his  daily  bread  was  not  the 
worst  that  had  befallen  him.  He  had  sunk  lower  yet. 
Against  his  will,  with  his  eyes  open  to  the  degrading 
fact  that  her  grandfather  was  neither  more  nor  less 
than  a  •'  common  workingman,"  *Ralph  Warrington 
had  stooped  to  fall  in  love  with  his  master's  daughter. 
When  Elsie  Norbury  came  home,  and  he  found  him- 


12 


THE  BAINPROOF  INVENTION, 


■   ; 


:■  ' 


self  falling  a  victim  to  her  enchantments,  he  had 
wished  to  break  the  spell  by  leaving  "Wharton  and 
Mr.  Norbury's  office  forever.  But  he  had  had  his 
widowed  mother  to  think  of,  and  he  had  stayed, 
hoping  to  live  his  fancy  down,  and,  instead,  growing 
every  day  more  enslaved. 

Johnson,  who  came  next  below  Warrington  in  office 
rank,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  describe  particularly. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  one  or  two  other  young 
men  working  with  more  or  less  diligence  at  their 
desks ;  but  though  Bob  Littleton  has  already  been 
introduced  to  the  reader,  he  perhaps  deserves  a  word 
or  two.  Unlike  Warrington,  his  ancestry  was  not 
among  the  grounds  of  his  claim  for  consideration. 
Bob  troubled  himself  little  about  such  matters.  His 
forefathers  had  been  —  well,  Bob  did  not  know  exactly 
what  they  had  been,  and  certainly  no  one  else  was 
likely  to  trouble  to  find  out.  His  abilities  were  not 
above  the  average  in  any  way,  unless  it  might  be  in 
singing  comic  songs,  in  which  art  it  must  be  allowed 
he  excelled.  Though  his  general  knowledge  of  music 
was  not  great,  he  knew  an  almost  unlimited  number 
of  the  particular  kind  of  ditties  in  which  his  soul 
delighted,  and  he  was  sure  to  charm  an  audience 
whose  tastes  lay  in  the  same  direction  as  his  own. 
Unfortunately,  the  singer  of  comic  songs  is  not  always 
blessed  with  appreciative  hearers,  and  the  performer 


I 


ss. 


/ 


THE  NORBUBY  MILLS. 


13 


becomes  doleful  and  the  listeners  are  bored ;  but 
Bob's  good  humor  was  infectious,  and  his  audience 
had  to  be  either  very  tragic  in  its  mood  or  deter- 
minately  ill-tempered  to  resist  him  long.  Perhaps 
his  appearance  contributed  to  his  success.  He  was 
not  handsome  —  far  from  it ;  he  was  rather  of  a  style 
of  plainness  —  ugliness  is  too  harsh  a  word — that 
was  admirably  adapted  to  comic  songs.  He  was 
extremely  short;  his  nose  had  a  slight  iQclination 
upward ;  his  eyes  were  gray,  large,  and  somewhat 
prominent ;  he  took  great  pains  in  the  cultivation  of 
a  mustache,  and  was  much  addicted  to  wearing  a 
white  waistcoat  in  season  and  out  of  season.  Most 
l)eholders  were  struck  witii  a  certain  contradictoriness 
in  his  appearance ;  nature  seemed  to  have  manu- 
factured him  of  odds  and  ends,  without  paying  much 
regard  to  general  harmony.  The  curve  of  his  fore- 
head suggested  an  entirely  different  shape  of  nose 
from  that  which  actually  adorned  his  face,  while  the 
prominence  of  his  eyes  was  totally  unexpected  from 
tlie  smallness  of  everything  else  about  him.  His 
good  nature  was  untiring,  and  he  was  ready  to  do 
anything  or  everything  in  time  of  need.  With  his 
companions  he  was  a  far  greater  favorite,  in  spite  of 
liis  love  of  teasing,  than  handsome,  dignified,  silent 
Ralph. 

CharJrjy  Milwood  was  the  youngest  of  the  clerks, 


14 


THE  RAINPROOF'  INVEXTION. 


and  still  felt  tlio  dignity  of  boiiiij;  promoted  from  a 
school  desk  to  an  ollicc  st«t()l.  His  chief  charjictcr- 
istic  was  his  extreme  desiiu  to  attiiiii  the  estati;  of 
manhood.  He  was  conseqiicntiy  sensitive  on  tlie  sub- 
ject of  his  yonth,  anil  Mt'fectcd  <>rown-ni)  airs.  He 
dressed  as  njuch  like  Warrington  as  he  could,  took 
immense  pains  to  learn  to  smoke,  and  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  asserting  his  rights,  especially  in  conversa- 
tion. The  other  cleiks  exi)ended  ti  vast  amount  of 
lal)or  in  the  atteni[)t  "  to  take  him  down,"  with  little 
perceptible  effect  for  good  or  harjn.  Even  in  his 
present  undeveloped  condition  he  was  not  without  his 
good  points,  but  he  was  likely  to  be  a  i)leasanter  and 
more  useful  member  of  society  when  he  h:id  really 
attained  to  years  of  «liscrction.  Dignity  is  never 
more  apt  to  be  troublesomely  aggressive  than  when 
it  is  of  doulitful  right. 

Charley's  privileges  as  a  nuin  extended  to  the 
fashionable  otiice  fiiiling  of  falling  in  love  with  his 
master's  daughter,  who  was  some  five  or  six  years 
older  than  himself.  Not  that  that  mattered  ;  he  felt 
old  enough  for  anything,  though  in  |)articularly  senti- 
mental moments  the  yout'fuliHvss  of  his  own  appear- 
ance distressed  him. 

Charley's  father,  Mr.  Milwood,  had  l)een  employed 
in  the  mills  for  over  twenty  years.  Mr.  Norbury 
found  him  useful  in  so  nianv  different  wavs  that  his 


THE  NOR  BURY  MILLS., 


16 


position  would  be  by  no  means  an  easy  one  to  define. 
All  liis  life  he  had  been  oveiworked  and  umlerpaid, 
but  he  was  a  gentlc-tempt'U'd,  patient  man,  unac- 
customed to  complain,  and  slow  to  see  that  he  was 
ill-used.  Perhaps  it  had  never  dawned  upon  him  that 
Mr.  Norbury  ou<>lit  to  have  raised  his  salary  ;  at  least 
he  did  not  object  to  doing  an  ever-increasing  amount 
of  work  for  the  very  same  annual  sum  that  he  had 
received  when  the  business  was  in  its  infancy.  If  he 
did  view  it  as  an  injustice,  he  never  mentioned  the 
fact,  but  went  on  in  his  old  fashion,  tliinking  of  his 
master's  interests  before  his  own.  He  had  a  large 
family  to  support,  and  at  times  the  struggle  to  provide 
for  it  was  almost  too  much  for  him.  He  was  natu- 
rally a  silent  man,  with  a  quiet,  subdued  manner,  and 
the  heavy  pressure  of  his  life,  with  its  unremitting 
toil  and  ceaseless  anxiety,  had  increased  this  quietness 
as  he  grew  older.  He  was  over  fifty  now,  but  his 
amiability  was  still  unsoured.  As  successive  trials 
were  passed  and  left  behind,  he  grew  only  more  patient 
and  unselfish.  In  spite  of  all,  Mr.  Milvvood  was  dis- 
tinctly happy,  for  the  peace  that  passeth  understand- 
ing had  raised  him  far  above  the  sordid  cares  of  his 
lot,  and  his  inner  life  was  absolutely  unrullled  by  its 
outward  storms  and  contests. 


CHAPTER  II. 


iii 


THE    NORBURY    HOUSEHOLD. 

IT  was  almost  uoon  before  Stanton  was  summoned 
to  Mr.  Norbury's  presence.  He  had  spent  the 
time  of  waiting  in  a  lively  conversation  with  Bob, 
who  had  not  troubled  himself  to  make  even  a  pretense 
of  working  except  when  Mr.  Norbury's  door  opened  ; 
then  a  spasmodic  fit  of  industry  seized  him  and  Ee 
wrote  diligently  for  a  few  seconds,  only  to  relapse 
into  his  former  state  as  soon  as  the  door  closed.  Yet, 
if  work  had  been  pressing,  Littleton  would  have  done 
as  much  as  any  one.  His  notions  of  morality  forbade 
him  to  idle  when  he  conceived  that  his  master's  inter- 
ests required  industry,  but  on  such  occasions  as  the 
present  he  felt  perfectly  free  to  enjoy  himself  if  he 
could. 

Whether  or  not  his  companions  argued  the  matter 
as  he  did,  in  their  case  also  there  was  rather  the 
appearance  than  the  reality  of  industry,  for  Stanton's 
conversation  was  interesting.  Ralph  Warrington,  in- 
deed, endeavored  to  attend  strictly  to  his  occupation, 
for  it  was  due  to  himself  to  give  his  employer  the 
time  he  had  bought,  but  even  Ralph  could  not  refrain 

16 


THE  yOItnVRY  HOUSEHOLD. 


IT 


entirely  from  listening  to  the  stranger's  entertaining 
talk.  ^^  Nobles.,e  ohlifje"  was  Warrington's  motto; 
but,  though  good  enough  in  its  way,  it  is  a  poor 
stronghold  in  the  hour  of  temptation,  and  occasionally 
it  failed  him. 

Bob  had  embarked  in  an  eager  defense  of  his 
favorite  style  of  music,  which  Stanton  had  spoken  of 
disparagingly.  In  the  excitement  of  the  moment  he 
was  about  to  illustrate  his  argument  by  an  example, 
when  Stanton  raised  a  warning  hand,  the  door  of  the 
inner  oHice  opened  sharply,  and  Mr.  Norbury  came 
out.  Bob  began  to  scratch  away  with  his  pen,  but 
his  dreaded  chief  came  slowly  down  the  long  room 
to  his  desk. 

"What  have  you  been  doiiig  this  morning,  Little- 
ton ?  "  he  asked  sternly. 

Bob  showed  hiin  silently.  Mr.  Norbury  frowned 
and  rel)uked  him  sharply,  telling  him  that  if  such  a 
thing  happened  again,  he  would  be  dismissed  on  the 
spot. 

Bob  looked  abashed,  and  inwardly  resolved  to 
mend  his  ways ;  but  it  was  not  the  first  time  he  had 
received  such  a  reprimand,  nor  would  it  be  the  last. 

The  great  man  appeared  to  have  forgotten  Stanton 
altogether,  and  was  leaving  the  room  without  a  word 
to  him,  when  that  young  man  rose  and  stated  his 
errand.     Mr.    Norbury  made    no   immediate   answer, 


18 


THE  liAINVROOF  INVENTION. 


but  led  the  way  into  his  own  room  and,  throwing 
hiniyolf  into  a  ehnir,  began  a  lonj^  and  rigorous 
examination  as  to  the  aspirant's  (|naliHcati<Mis,  with 
the  inquiry  that  conunoncos  the  CJliureh  of  England 
catechism,  '*  What  is  vour  nanu;?" 

"  Mark  Stanton." 

"  Your  age?" 

"  Twenty-four,  sir." 

"  What  experience  have  you  had?" 

Satisfied  on  this  i)oint,  INIr.  Norhnry  prot'cede<l  to 
the  question  of  stdary.  lie  exphiiniMl  the  \vorl\  that 
was  to  be  done,  and  named  so  small  a  sinn  as  remu- 
neration for  it  that  the  young  m:in  was  visibly  dis- 
appointed, and  brought  down  upon  himself  an  angry 
tirade  "on  the  folly  and  absurdity  of  st'tting  too  high 
a  value  on  himself."  Nevertheless,  as  Stanton  had 
been  out  of  a  situation  for  more  tliiui  three  months, 
be  huml)led  hin.self  befoie  the  impatient  old  man, 
and  soon  saw  that  his  deferential  tones  were  doing 
their  work.  He  had  made  a  favoral)le  impression, 
and  though  Mr.  Norbury  continued  to  (piestion  him 
closelv,  his  manner  was  less  disagreeable  tlnin  at  first. 
Stanton  had  excellent  references,  and  the  jnaster  of 
the  mills  finally  decided  to  give  him  a  short  trial  as 
traveler  for  the  "  Patent  Rainproof  Cloth." 

Bob  was  leaving  the  ollice  as  lie  passed  through  it, 
and   out  of    the   goodness   of    his   heart   invited    the 


THE  NORJiVRY   HOUSEHOLD. 


19 


to 


stranger  to  dine  with  him.  Stanton  aoceptod  tho 
invitation  gratefully. 

"Well,  has  he  engaged  you?"  wa.s  Bob's  first 
question. 

"  Yes,  o!i  trial,  as  traveler.  1  M  sooner  do  any- 
thing else  ;  but  I  've  been  out  of  a  situation  for  weeks, 
and  beggars  can't  be  choosers." 

"Well,  I  think  you're  lucky;  it's  better  than 
bookkeeping  anyway.  What  did  you  think  of  old 
Norbury  ?  " 

"I  thought  him  rather — peculiar.  He  is  a  little 
brusque  in  manner,  isn't  he?" 

"  Rruscjue  !  I  should  say  he  is!  Did  you  notice 
the  way  he  spoke  to  me?  J  might  have  been  a 
schoolboy  doing  my  copy." 

Stanton  laughed.  '-He  is  painfully  suggestive  of 
a  schoolmaster,  now  you  mention  it." 

"  Warrington  used  to  say  that  it  was  because  of 
his  being  a  self-made  man  ;  but  that  was  before  Miss 
Norbury  came  home.  Ralph  can't  see  any  good  in 
people  who  ha-^'c  n't  a  pedigree  as  long  as  his  own  ; 
that  is,  in  any  one  except  Miss  Norbury." 

"  Then  she  hasn't  a  p'  digroe?  " 

"  Not  that  I  ever  heard  of;  and  I  know  as  nuich  of 
the  family  as  most  people.  Mr.  Norbury's  father  — 
he 's  a  very  old  man  now  —  was  a  stone  mason  at 
Inglefield,  and  he  lives   there  still  [n  a  tiny  cottage 


20 


THE  RAINPROOF  IN  VENTION. 


near  the  park.  He  is  very  proud  of  '•  (jiir  James,'  I 
can  tell  you.  He  thinkH  there  *8  not  another  man  in 
the  world  to  match  him  for  cleverness.  He  says  he  's 
'  a  great  scholar,'  though  I  don't  believe  he  went  to 
school  for  more  than  six  months  in  his  life." 

"  But,  surely,  you  don't  mean  to  say  "  — 

"  Yes  ;  it 's  irue.  I  knew  his  father  when  I  was 
quite  a  bit  of  a  lad.     I  have  heard  it  many  a  time." 

''  How  can  he  manage  his  business  with  such  an 
education  as  that?  " 

"  Oh,  he  taught  himself,  T  suppose;  I  don't  know. 
At  any  rate,  he  learned  enough  to  get  into  Monitor 
&  Co.'s  mills  before  he  was  twenty." 

"He  must  have  had  lots  of  pUuik,"  said  Stanton 
with  a  note  of  admiration  in  his  voice  ;  "  but  how  did 
he  start  for  himself?  " 

"  He  scraped  and  saved  like  a  miser  for  nearly  ten 
years,  and  learner'  everything  about  the  working  of 
the  business,  and  all  the  while  he  was  grinding  away 
at  his  patent.  At  last  he  got  it  perfect ;  then  he  left 
Inglefield  and  married  and  set  up  for  himself." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  he  contrived  to  save  enough 
in  ten  years  to  start  a  factory  with  ?  " 

"  Yes,  unless  he  borrowed  something.  I  dare  say  he 
got  better  pay  than  we  do,  —  the  Monitor  people  are 
not  such  screws  as  he  is,  —  but  of  course  he  started 
in  a  very  small  way.     He  bad  a  little,  old  place  down 


IHE  NOliliUHY   llOUSF.noLD. 


21 


liy  llie  river  ut  fuHt;  it  would  n't  begin  to  liulU  his 
inuelimes  now." 

"  He  niuBt  have  been  a  hicky  fellow." 

''  Well,  I  suppose  he  worked  hard  for  what  he  's  got. 
At  Inglefield  he  never  took  a  day's  holiday,  they  say. 
I  doubt  if  I  'd  slave  so,  even  if  I  was  certain  (tf  a 
fortune  at  fifty  —  and  inventions  are  nasty,  tricky 
things.  It's  ten  chances  to  one  that  you'll  do  the 
work  and  some  one  else  get  the  benefit." 

"  Well,  it  hasn't  been  so  with  him.  I  heard  yester- 
day that  he  's  ihe  richest  man  in  Wharton." 

"I  don't  believe  it;  Mr.  lilackmore  could  buy  him 
up  twice  over,  but  he  '11  be  richer  yet,  I  dare  say. 
He's  wearing  his  life  out  now  trying  to  invent  some 
improvement  in  the  '  Rainproof.*  His  business  is 
everything  to  him,  and  if  you  want  to  get  into  his 
good  graces  you  must  pay  proper   respect  to   that." 

Stanton  was  silent  for  some  minutes ;  then,  either 
because  his  curiosity  was  insatiable,  or  because  his 
politeness  did  not  permit  him  to  let  the  conversation 
fiag,  he  began  again. 

' '  You  have  spoken  several  times  of  Miss  Norbury  ; 
has  he  any  other  children  ?  " 

"  No,  only  Elsie.' 

"  Is  Mrs.  Norbury  still  living?" 

"Yes.  If  you  come  into  the  office,  you'll  soon 
know  all  about  them.     Miss  Norbury  always  makes 


22 


THE  BAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


the  acquaintance  of   any  new  fellow  as  soon  as   she 
can." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  " 

"How  do  I  know  anything?  Mark  iny  words, 
within  the  month  you  will  know  Miss  Norbnry.  She 
will  meet  you  somewhere,  or  she  will  make  her  father 
ask  3'ou  up  to  supper." 

"  What  sort  of  a  girl  is  she?     Prett}^  of  course?" 
"  "Why  'of  course  '?     All  girls  are  not  pretty  !  " 
"No,  but  surely  Miss  Norbnry"  — 
"  Hush  !  "  exclaimed  Bob.     "  There  she  is." 
Stanton  looked  with  some  interest  at  the  young  lady 
who  was  approaching  them.     She  was  tall  and  slight, 
graceful  in  figure  and  carriage,  but  not  pretty.     The 
shape  of  her  face  was  better  than  its  coloring,  for  her 
con^plexion  was  pale  and  not  very  clear,  and  her  blue- 
gray  eyes  might  have   been    darker  with  advantage. 
Her  features  were  rather  commonplace  in  character ; 
they  had  not  even  any  striking  defect.     Her  hair  was 
brown,  of  a  moderately  dark  shade,  and  was  straight 
by  nature,  though  it  was  rendered  wavy  or  curly  by 
art  as  fashion  demanded.     When  her  face  was  at  rest, 
it  usually  wore  a  gentle,  pensive,  rather  sentimental 
expression  ;  whether  or  not  it  was  a  true  index  to  her 
character  remains  lo  be  seen. 

She  came  (juickly  down  the  street,  and  was  seem- 
ingly in  a  .hurry,  but  she  did  not  forget  to  bow  and 


1 


THE  NOBBURY  HOUSEHOLD. 


23 


she 


smile  to  Bob,  and  after  tliiit  Stanton  wondered  less  at 
the  clerks'  admiration  of  her.  Such  a  smile  !  it  was 
like  the  beaut}'  of  unexpected  sunsJiine,  almost  bewil- 
dering and  dazzling  in  its  radiance.  Her  whole  face 
woke  up  and  brightened  into  something  more  charm- 
ing than  beauty.  She  might  be  plain  when  she  was 
grave,  but  she  was  be^vitcning  Avhen  she  smiled. 

Bob's  account  of  the  mill  owner  and  his  family  had 
been  correct  in  most  particulars.  Taking  one  year 
with  another,  Mr.  Norbury's  profits  had  increased  and 
his  business  had  extended  steadily,  and  if  he  could 
succeed  in  his  new  experiment  his  future  prospects 
would  be  brilliant.  For  many  years  he  had  given  all 
the  time  he  could  possibl}'  spare  to  working  at  the 
improvement  of  his  patent,  and  had  often  seemed  on 
the  very  point  of  success,  but,  like  the  water  of  Tan- 
talus, the  secret  constantly  eluded  him.  He  was 
almost  weary  of  the  struggle,  but  he  could  not  bear 
to  be  beaten,  and,  wealthy  though  he  was,  he  was  not 
half  satisfied  with  the  position  he  had  attained.  He 
was  accustomed  to  judge  men  rather  by  what  they 
possessed  than  by  what  they  were,  and,  strange  to 
say,  he  measured  himself  by  the  same  standard.  He 
never  attempted  to  conceal  the  fact  that  he  had  risen 
from  the  lower  ranks  ;  he  felt  that  the  fact  was  nothing 
to  be  ashamed  of,  and  he  was  not  ashamed.  But  he 
did  not  stop  there  ;  he  admired  neither  intellect  nor 


24 


THE  JtAlNPliOOF  IXVENTIOK. 


goodness  u  iless  its  possessor  were  wealthy.  Id  his 
eyes  that  man  had  done  best  who  had  amassed  the 
largest  fortune  by  his  own  exertions. 

He  was  not  parsimonious,  however.  He  liked 
spending  money  as  well  as  getting  and  keeping  it. 
Misers  he  abhorred,  regarding  them  as  useless  to  the 
community  and  particularly  in  the  way  of  those  who 
are  entirely  dependent  on  their  own  efforts.  He  was 
fond  of  saying  that  he  "  owed  nothing  to  his  parents," 
but  he  did  not,  therefore,  forget  the  relationship. 
James  Norbury  was  a  good  son,  and  had  provided 
for  his  father  generously  for  many  years.  It  was  not 
his  fault  that  the  old  man  did  not  share  more  largely  in 
the  good  things  he  had  won,  for  he  had  begged  him 
again  and  again  to  leave  his  little  cottage  at  Inglefield, 
and  to  take  up  his  abode  in  his  more  luxurious  dwell- 
ing-place in  Wharton. 

Miss  Norbury  by  no  means  regretted  the  old  man's 
decision.  It  was  a  constant  annoyance  to  her  that  her 
father  never  forgot  the  humble  position  from  wliich  he 
had  risen.  Elsie  was  well  educated  and  well  read ; 
she  dressed  well  and  was  admitted  to  the  best  society 
that  the  smoky  little  manufacturing  town  afforded,  but 
after  all  she  was  only  a  workingman's  grand-daughter. 
It  was  one  of  her  standing  grievances  that  Mr.  Nor- 
bury would  insist  on  talking  of  the  humble  circum- 
stances in  which  he  had  been  brought  up,  even  when  he 


I 


ON. 


THE  NOBBURY  HOUSEHOLD. 


25 


ilthy.     Id   his 
amassed   the 

51'.     He    liked 
\   keeping   it. 
useless  to  the 
of  those  who 
I'ts.     He  was 
his  parents," 
relationship, 
bad  provided 
It  was  not 
ore  largely  in 
1  begged  him 
at  Inglefield, 
urious  dwell- 

le  old  man's 
'  her  that  her 
■om  which  he 
1  well  read ; 
best  society 
ifforded,  but 
id-danghter. 
at  Mr.  Nor- 
ible  circum- 
ven  when  he 


might  iiave  concealed  the  fact.  Though  never  exactly 
a  [)olished  man,  his  manners  and  mode  of  speech  would 
hardly  have  betrayed  him,  for  in  iiis  earlier  days  he 
had  sliown  considerable  quickness  and  dexterity  in 
accommodating  himself  to  the  society  into  which  he 
was  thrown.  Now  indeed,  as  his  position  became 
more  assured,  he  troubled  himself  less  about  being 
agreeable,  and  was  sometimes  so  aggressive  in  his 
self-assertion  that  Elsie  was  seriously  ashamed  of  him, 
and  bitterly  lamented  her  hard  fate  in  being  a  "  no- 
body,"  as  she  plu'ased  it. 

Perhaps  no  one  else  tliought  as  much  of  her  dis- 
advantages of  birth  as  she  supposed,  unless  it  might 
be  Ralph  Warrington,  for  she  had  inherited  a  double 
portion  of  her  father's  old  adaptability  of  manner. 
She  exerted  herself  to  please,  and  she  succeeded ; 
people  often  called  her  "  a  fascinating  woman,"  and 
she  was  a  great  favorite  in  Wharton.  She  possessed 
some  quickness  in  acquiring  information,  and  as  she  had 
had  good  teachers,  she  was  generally  reckoned  clever, 
and  perhaps  sli3  was.  She  had  "  finished  her  educa- 
tion "  (to  use  the  current  phrase)  about  twelve 
montl'.s  before  my  story  opens.  The  two  previous 
years  she  had  spent  on  the  Continent  in  tlie  study  of 
French,  German,  and  music,  so  she  was  not  without 
accomplishments. 

For  years  her  father  and  mother   had   lived   com- 


26 


THE  BAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


i 


fortably  but  unostentatiously  in  a  good-sized,  ram- 
bling, old-fashioned  house  in  the  older  part  of  the 
town.  It  was  built  directly  on  the  street,  which  was 
so  narrow  that  two  vehicles  had  barely  room  to  pass. 
There  was  a  tiny  strip  of  garden  at  the  back,  but  it 
was  too  small  and  dusty  to  be  of  much  use.  To 
make  matters  worse,  the  neighboring  houses  were  so 
shabby  and  poor  that  they  were  being  gradually 
abandoned  by  all  who  had  any  pretensions  to  gen- 
tility. It  was  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  when 
Elsie  came  home  she  did  her  utmost  to  persuade  her 
father  to  remove  to  a  "  more  respectable  part  of  the 
town."  But  in  vain  ;  the  house  was  comfortable,  and 
nothing  would  induce  Mr.  Norbury  to  leave  it.  At 
last  Elsie  gave  up  the  struggle,  and  expended  her 
energies  on  making  its  internal  arrangements  more 
refined  and  elegant  than  they  had  ever  been  under  her 
mother's  rule.  But  she  had  learned  a  lesson.  This 
time  she  went  to  work  diplomatically,  and  by  making 
only  very  gradual  changes  contrived  to  evade  her 
father's  opposition.  The  shabby  furniture,  worn-out 
carpets,  and  hideous  colored  prints  were  deftly  spir- 
ited away,  and  the  old  rooms  began  to  look  surprisingly 
cheerful  and  tasteful  in  their  dainty  freshness. 

One  thing  was  not  so  satisfactory  to  Mr.  Norbury. 
The  expenses  of  housekeeping  mysteriously  increased 
from  the  moment  of  his  daughter's  home-coming,  and 


WM 


THE  NOBBUBY  HOUSEHOLD. 


27 


zed,  ram- 
irt  of  the 
which  WHS 
n  to  pass, 
ick,  but  it 

use.  To 
;s  were  so 
gradually 
is  to  gen- 
that  when 
rsuade  her 
)art  of  the 
rtable,  and 
ve  it.  At 
ended  her 
cuts  more 
under  her 
^on.  This 
bv  making 
evade  her 
;,  worn-out 
leftly  spir- 
urprisingly 
ss. 

Norbury. 
jr  increased 
omiug,  and 


the  growth  was  greater  as  the  year  went  on.  But, 
after  all,  there  was  no  reason  why  he  should  not 
indulge  in  luxuries  that  he  could  afford  as  easily  as 
his  neighbors.  Perhaps  they  were  even  due  to  his 
position  as  a  man  of  capital ;  and,  as  for  never 
having  been  used  to  them,  one  man  has  as  good  a 
right  as  another  to  the  good  tilings  of  life,  if  he  can 
pay  for  them.  So  Mr.  Norbury  was  induced  to  argue, 
and  Elsie  had  her  way. 

With  regard  to  engaging  extra  servants  it  was  the 
same.  She  contrived  to  touch  his  ready  pride,  and 
again  she  was  allowed  to  arrange  as  she  chose.  He 
had  a  right,  an  infinitely  better  right,  to  all  that  his 
money  could  buy  than  those  who  owed  everything  to 
the  accident  of  their  birth.  He  had  given  a  fair 
return  for  all  he  had  made  ;  it  was  the  honest  profit 
on  honest  labor,  and  he  had  a  right  to  the  good  it 
brought.  So,  by  way  of  asserting  this  right,  he  con- 
tinually allowed  Elsie  to  lead  him  into  what,  the 
year  before,  he  would  have  stigmatized  as  "  useless 
extravagances." 

Bob  was  wrong  in  declaring  that  Mr.  Norbury's 
business  was  "everything"  to  him.  His  business 
came  first,  but  Elsie  had  a  large  share  of  his  affections 
notwithstanding.  It  was  the  old  story  of  "my  ducats 
and  my  daughter  "  ;  but  his  interest  in  and  aflfeetion 
for  his  daughter  were  perceptibly  growing,  so  that  it 


28 


THE  MAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


: 


was  at  least  possible  that  Elsie  miglit  eventually  out- 
weigh the  factory  in  his  estimation.  But  that  is  going 
far  into  the  uncertain  possibilities  of  the  future  ;  at 
present  it  was  not  so.  Elsie  was  clever  and  graceful 
and  bright —  "good  company  "  ;  a  girl  that  any  father 
might  reasonably  be  proud  of ;  but  his  best  years  had 
been  given  to  his  business  and  his  patent,  and  they 
w^ere  still  the  dearest  object  of  his  life. 

Mrs.  Norbury,  unlike  her  husband  and  daughter, 
had  no  energy,  no  strength  of  will,  and  was  as  weak 
of  body  as  she  was  irresolute  in  mind.  She  was 
a  nervous,  superstitious,  rather  lachrymose  woman, 
much  given  to  the  nursing  of  half-imaginary  ailments 
that  incapacitated  her  from  taking  her  proper  place 
as  mistress  of  the  house.  She  had  very  willingly  dele- 
gated her  authority  to  her  daughter,  q^ud  now  she  had 
nothing  to  do  but  to  return  the  calls  of  their  few  vis- 
itors and  to  perplex  herself  with  every  variety  of  fancy 
knitfing.  She  was  not  quick  at  copying  the  patterns 
she  was  always  collecting,  and  the  study  of  the  com- 
plications into  which  wool  and  cotton  may  be  twisted 
afforded  abundant  occupation  for  many  a  long  hour. 


4, 
.1" 
■  a 
,* 

■A 

i 


.'S 


■S 

■^ 


lly  out- 
3  going 
ire  ;  at 
graceful 
J  father 
iirs  had 
ad  they 

lughter, 
as  weak 
he  was 
woman, 
ailments 
Br  place 

ly  dele- 
she  had 

ew  vis- 
)f  fancy 
patterns 
he  com- 

twisted 

hour. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ANOTHER  FAMILY  OF  THREE. 

MR.  NORBURY  stood  by  the  window  of  his 
ollice,  gazing  through  it,  but  seeing  nothing, 
not  even  the  blank  walls  opposite ;  for  it  was  now 
late  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  dullness  of  the  day  had 
been  succeeded  by  a  heavy  fog.  The  gas  had  been 
lighted  some  hours  before,  but  the  oflice  looked  nearly 
as  dreary  as  the  outside  world.  The  room  was  bare 
and  poorly  furnished,  even  for  a  place  devoted  exclu- 
sively to  business ;  but  Mr.  Norbury  appeared  to 
hesitate  about  exchanging  even  the  small  amount  of 
comfort  it  afforded  for  the  absolute  discomfort  of  the 
streets. 

As  he  stood  gazing  out  into  the  fog  some  one  tapped 
at  the  door.  "Come  in!"  he  cried  in  the  sharp 
tone  in  which  he  usually  addressed  his  subordinates ; 
and  a  girl  with  a  large  roll  of  paper  In  her  hand 
entered  the  room. 

'*  I  am  afraid  I  don't  quite  understand  this,  Mr. 
Norbury,"  she  said.  "  It  doesn't  look  to  me  as  if  it 
will  work  out  right." 

"  Of  course   it  won't,"   he   said,   glancing  at   the 

29 


ill 


30 


THE  BAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


design  she  spread  out  before  him.  "  I  told  you,  Miss 
Warrington,  as  plainly  as  I  could  speak,  that  the 
pattern  was  to  be  dark  on  a  light  ground !  That 
will  never  do.  Besides,  it 's  wrong  there  and  there. 
Where  are  the  patterns  I  gave  you?  1  am  sure  they 
ought  to  combine  better  than  that." 

"  They  are  here.  I  don't  think  they  go  very  well 
together,"  replied  the  girl,  gazing  ruefully  at  the 
somewhat  odd  jumble  of  conventionalized  leaves  and 
scroll-work  sketched  on  her  paper.  "  I  could  do 
better,  I  am  sure,  if  I  drew  in  some  of  those  curves, 
without  troubling  with  the  other  pattern  at  all." 

"  I  wanted  to  set  the  man  to  work  on  it  to-morrow. 
How  soon  can  you  alter  it?  Can  you  bring  it  up  first 
thing  in  the  morning?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  it  will  hardly  be  finished  so  soon  as 
that.     Perhaps  the  day  after"  — 

"  Well,  bring  it  up  to-morrow  as  it  is,  and  finish  it 
here.  I  should  like  to  be  able  to  show  you  how  I 
want  it  don'  I  'm  very  sure,  Miss  Warrington,  that 
you  '11  have  to  do  your  work  here,  if  it 's  to  be  of  any 
use.  But  we  '11  see.  Are  you  sure  you  understand 
now?" 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Norbury."  And  Maud  Warrington 
gathered  up  her  papers  with  a  feeling  of  more  annoy- 
ance than  there  was  occasion  for. 

Ralph  was  leaving  the  office  as  she  passed  through 


4 


'1 


^ou,  Miss 
that  the 
kl !  Tliat 
nd  there. 
3ure  they 

very  well 
y  at  the 
aves  and 
could  do 
B  curves, 

(-morrow, 
t  up  first 

>  soon  as 

i  finish  it 
)U  how  I 
;ton,  that 
3e  of  any 
iderstand 


arringtou 
i^e  aunoy- 


l  through 


ANOTlIEIi  FAMILY   OF   TIUiEE. 


31 


it.  He  politely  took  her  bundle  from  her,  but  looked 
very  much  as  if  he  would  like  to  throw  it  into  the 
gutter. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  after  they  had  walked  some  dis- 
tance in  silence,  "  are  n't  you  tired  yet,  Maud,  of  Mr. 
Norbury  and  this  ridiculous  designing?  " 

"  I  am  not  going  to  give  it  up,  Ralph,  if  I  can  keep 
it,"  she  said  with  a  touch  of  defiance,  "  though  1 
won't  pretend  to  like  Mr.  Norbury." 

"  I  don't  see  what  made  vou  begin  it.  We  were 
able  to  live  well  enough  without  it.  Why  can't  you 
keep  to  your  painting  ?  " 

"  It  was  of  no  use,  Ralph.  You  know  my  sketches 
would  n't  sell,  and  my  china  painting  cost  more  than 
it  was  worth.  If  I  ever  am  to  paint,  I  must  have 
good  lessons,  and  I  can't  go  on  using  mother's  money, 
or  yours  either,  for  lessons.  Besides,  what  can  it 
matter,  my  doing  work  for  Mr.  Norbury  any  more 
than  you?" 

"  It  does  matter  in  every  way.  You  know  very 
well  that  the  olKce  is  no  place  for  a  lady,  and  Mr. 
Norbury  will  never  be  satisfied  till  you  do  your  work 
there." 

*' Lots  of  girls  are  bookkeepers  and  typewriters  in 
offices  now." 

"It  is  n't  suitable  work  for  my  sister." 

"It  is  honest  and   respectable   work;  what  more 


32 


THE  KAlNritOOF  INVENTION. 


would  you  have?  We  ciin't  pretend,  Kalpli,  to  live 
like  fine  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  I  for  one  wliould  n't 
want  to,  if  I  could.  Surely,  if  I  don't  object  to  the 
work,  you  need  not." 

*'  I  have  told  you  again  and  again,  Maud,  that  I 
strongly  disapprove  of  it.  People  will  say  that  I 
don't  treat  you  properly,  and  that  you  are  obliged  to 
earn  your  own  living." 

"  I  don't  believe  people  are  always  talking  and 
thinking  of  us,  Ralph.  The  world  knows  and  cares 
very  little  about  us,  in  spite  of  our  grand  ancestors." 

Something  in  Maud's  tone  provoked  Ralph  to  say, 
"It's  all  very  well  to  put  on  scornful  airs,  Maud,  but 
you  know  you  think  as  much  as  I  do  of  belonging  to  a 
good  family.  I  only  hope  you  will  do  nothing  to  dis- 
grace it." 

"I  should  disgrace  it  or  myself,  which  is  more  to 
the  purpose,  if  I  settled  quietly  down  to  the  sort  of 
life  you  wish.  I  tell  you,  Ra^h,  I  must  do  some- 
thing. I  can't  go  on  wasting  my  time  with  bits  of 
fancy  work  and  sketching.  I  am  twenty- three  already, 
and  I  have  done  nothing  yet.  I  am  sure  I  could  paint 
if  I  could  only  get  some  lessons,  and  I  must  go  on 
with  Mr.  Norbury's  work.  O  Ralph,  why  will  you 
worry  so?" 

"Because  the  thing  is  most  unsuitable,  and  you 
ought  to  be  able  to  see  it.     How  will  you  like  to  make 


ANOTHER   FAMILY  OF  THREE. 


33 


the  acquaintance  of  Littleton  and  Johnson  and  all 
those  fellows?" 

"  I  dare  say  I  shall  not  object.  It  would  be  better 
than  having  no  accjuaintances  at  all,  in  any  case,  and 
so  far  I  don't  know  a  soul  to  speak  to  in  Wharton 
excepting  the  Milwoods.  What  is  the  sense,  Ralph, 
of  shutting  ourselves  up  like  licrinits,  because  Lady 
McMaster  and  Mrs.  Underwood  don't  call  on  us?" 

"How  foolishly  you  talk,  Maud!  You  know  that 
those  people  would  not  think  of  visiting  with  us." 

' '  That  is  what  I  say,  but  you  never  like  rae  to  make 
friends  with  people  in  our  own  position,  like  the  Mil- 
woods  and  the  Frosts." 

"  Our  own  position!"  repeated  Ralph  with  scornful 
emphasis. 

"Practically  we  are  in  the  same  position.  I  wish  the 
old  pedigree  and  all  that  nonsense  had  been  burnt  up 
years  ago.  It  only  makes  us  uncomfortable  and  stu- 
pid with  people,  for  we  are  neither  '  fish,  ilesh,  fowl, 
nor  good  red  herring.'  The  grand  folk  won't  have 
anything  to  do  with  us.  Indeed,  I  suppose  they  are 
not  even  aware  of  our  existence,  and  we  are  so  fine 
we  are  afraid  to  see  anything  of  any  one  else.  Oh,  I 
am  sick  of  it  all,  and  I  don't  believe  it 's  right  I  " 

"  I  am  very  sure,  Maud,  that  it  is  not  right  for  you 
to  disregard  the  wishes  of  your  best  friends  as  you 
do,"  sai4  Ralph  coldly. 


^ 


34 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


*'You  are  so  inconsistent,  Ralph,"  retorted  hio 
sister,  once  more  carrying  tlie  war  into  the  enemy's 
conntry.  ''  "Why,  mother  told  me  only  this  morning 
that  you  had  promised  to  go  up  to  Mr.  Norbury's  to 
dinner  again  to-night!  Why  is  it  so  different  for  you 
and  for  me?" 

Ralph's  face  grew  red,  as  it  had  done  in  the  ollice 
when  Littleton  talked  of  Miss  Norbury,  but  he  said, 
"  I  am  obliged  to  go.  As  long  as  I  am  in  the  ollice 
I  cannot  refuse  Mr.  Norbury's  invitations." 

"  Miss  Norbury  called  on  us  this  afternoon,  Ralph, 
just  before  I  came  out." 

The  young  man's  face  brightened.  "  Did  she, 
INIaud  ?     That  was  very  kind." 

"I  thought  you  would  be  annoyed  that  she  had 
chosen  to  patronize  us,  Ralph.     I  was." 

"You  are  hard  to  please.  I  suppose  she  was  only 
trying  to  be  friendly." 

"  I  hope  she  will  not  try  again,  then.  1  don't  like 
her  as  well  as  her  father,  even." 

"  I  do  hope,  Maud,  that  you  treated  her  civilly." 

The  anxiety  in  Ralph's  tone  was  so  strongly  marked 
that,  though  she  did  not  trace  it  to  its  right  cause,  she 
hastened  to  reassure  him. 

' '  Indeed  I  did,  Ralph.  I  'm  sure  she  did  n't  see  what 
I  thought  of  her.  I  felt  like  a  story-teller  afterwards, 
though  I  don't  think  I  exactly  said  what  was  n't  true." 


'V, 

J: 


■1 


1 


-•if 


ANOTIIEIi  FAMILY  OF  THREE. 


86 


>rtcd    his 

eiiciny'a 

morning 

bury'H  to 

t  for  you 

the  odlcu 

he  said, 

the  olllce 

II,  Ralph, 

Did   she, 

she   had 

was  only 

lon't  like 

ivilly." 
V  marked 
;ause,  she 

t  see  what 
terwards, 
u't  true." 


By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  door  of  tlio  low 
old-fashioned  cottage  where  they  lived,  and  taking  her 
papers  M  .ud  ran  ui)stairs  without  another  woril.  She 
threw  them  down  on  the  bed,  and  instead  of  taking  oil' 
her  hat  and  jacket,  sat  down  beside  the  window  and, 
resting  her  head  on  her  hand,  fell  into  a  deep  reverie. 

She  was  a  sli^Mit,  delicate-looking  girl,  with  beauti- 
ful clear  gray  eyes  and  a  quantity  of  wavy  golden 
hair.  The  shape  of  her  face  was  oval,  and  her  com- 
plexion was  pale  and  fair.  Though  not  very  like 
her  brother,  she  was  quite  as  good  looking,  and  IMrs. 
Warrington  was  often  gratified  by  the  admiration  be- 
stowed on  both  her  children. 

Just  now  Maud's  pretty  face  wore  a  decidedly  dis- 
contented expression.  Ralph's  opposition  to  her  plans 
annoyed  her  extremely  ;  ami  the  worst  of  it  was,  what- 
ever he  said  her  mother  concurred  in,  for  her  son's 
influence  with  her  was  unbounded.  She  loved  her 
daughter,  too,  but  Maud  never  had  doubted  (and  there 
really  Avas  no  room  to  doubt)  that  the  affection  given  to 
her  was  nothing  in  comparison  to  the  passionate  devo- 
tion lavished  on  her  brother.  It  was  so  old  a  story 
now,  that  Maud  accepted  the  fact  quietly,  but  in  her 
childish  days  she  had  rebelled  against  it  with  all  her 
might,  not  knowing  then  that  love  is  not  a  prize  to  bo 
won  by  force.  There  were  times,  even  yet,  when  she 
was  bitter  and  angry  at  Ralph  for  having,  as  she  felt, 


ji 


36 


THE  liAINFEOOF  INVENTION. 


taken  away  the  birthright  which  she  would  have  valued 
more  ihau  he.  In  moments  of  difference  of  opinion 
she  was  inclined  to  make  it  in  her  own  mind  a  reason 
for  disregarding  his  wishes ;  for,  if  she  did  not  look 
aftci"  herself,  neither  mother  nor  brother  was  likely 
to  consider  her  desires,  especially  if  they  chanced  to 
clash  with  Ralph's. 

As  she  had  grown  up  (she  was  several  years 
younger  than  her  brother),  she  had  deliberately  set 
herself,  with  a  strong  feeling  of  the  injustice  of  her 
lot,  to  take  her  own  way  in  spite  of  him.  In  this 
course,  however,  she  tried  to  give  proper  weight  to  all 
his  reasonable  wishes,  but  she  gave  no  quarter  to  those 
wliicli  she  regarded  as  unreasonable,  and  whether  the 
oi>iaiops  ol  an  unprejudiced  person  would  always  have 
agreed  with  her  views  on  the  matter  might  have  been 
open  to  question.  At  least  the  effect  was  a  natural 
one.  What  Ralph  characterized  as  her  willfulness  and 
obstinacy  carried  her  triumphant  tlirough  inany  a  con- 
test, but  the  cost  of  such  victories  was  more  disastrous 
than  defeat.  The  breach  between  them  had  steadily 
widened,  and  now,  though  they  lived  in  the  same 
house  and  were  called  by  the  same  name,  the  less  they 
saw  of  each  other  the  better  it  was  for  the  peace  of 
the  familv. 

Some    months   earlier   another    factor   had    entered 
into  the  problem  that  at  present  crJ.y  added  to  Maud's 


I 


•■■■  t 


i 


ANOTHER  FAMILY  OF   THREE. 


37 


^e  valued 
f  opinion 
a  reason 
not  look 
as?  likely 
laueed  to 

•al    years 

ately  set 

L^e  of  her 

In  this 

i^ht  to  all 

r  to  those 

letlier  the 

vays  have 

uivo  been 

a  natural 

ilness  and 

ny  a  cou- 

lisastrous 

I  steadily 

the   same 

less  they 

peace  of 

I    entered 
o  Maud's 


unhappiness.  She  had  resolved  to  be  a  Christian,  and 
she  was  slowly  learning  what  it  meant  to  be  a  follower 
of  the  gentle  and  lowly  Jesus.  It  seemed  to  her 
that  the  new  life  mvolved  sacrifices  greater  and  more 
painful  than  she  could  ever  be  prepared  to  make, 
and  yet  she  did  not  see  that  they  were  all  centered  in 
one  —  the  sacrifice  of  her  own  self-will.  Very  dimly 
did  she  apprehend  the  real  character  of  the  service 
into  which  she  had  entered,  and  yet  she  was  sincere. 
The  difficulties  that  beset  her  path  bewildered  her ; 
but  she  struggled  on,  striving  at  once  to  do  her  Lord's 
will  and  to  have  her  own  way,  and  failing  as  dismally 
as  might  be  expected. 

To-day.  as  she  sat  looking  down  into  the  misty 
little  garden  and  thinking  over  the  conversation  with 
her  brother,  she  blamed  herself  for  her  hasty  speeches, 
but  she  never  dreamed  that  her  whole  attitude  with 
regard  to  him  was  wrong.  She  felt  convinced  that 
she  was  right  to  prefer  honest  work  and  independence 
to  idleness,  and  thinking  so,  she  was  determined  to 
keep  her  position,  whatever  Ralph  might  say  or  think, 
though  she  also  resolved  to  avoid  irritating  him  need- 
lessly. Even  now,  though  she  fancied  herself  repent- 
ant for  the  sharp,  unkind  words  that  had  passed  her 
lips,  she  allowed  herself  to  dwell  scornfully  on  her 
brother's  foolish  and  unfounded  pride. 

As  she  went  down  to  tea  she  heard  Ralph  shut  the 


38 


THE  liAINPliOOF  INVENTION. 


I 


m 


:   i 


I 


street  door,  and  the  sound  roused  all  her  bitter  feelings 
again  ;  for  "  how  could  he  be  so  foolishly  inconsistent 
as  to  object  to  her  doing  work  for  a  man  whom  he  was 
willing  to  treat  as  a  friend  ?  " 

Her  vexation  was  increased  by  her  mother's  sud- 
denly remarking,  "  My  dear,  did  you  tell  Mr.  Norbury 
to-day  that  you  could  not  do  any  m(Me  designs  for 
him?" 

"  No,  mother  ;  I  never  dreamed  of  such  a  thing." 

"  I  thought  you  knew  that  Ralph  wished  you  to  give 
it  up." 

"  I  know  tiiat,  mother;  but  I  think  I  have  as  good 
a  right  to  earn  my  own  living  as  he  has  himself." 

"  I  think,  my  dear,  that  you  ought  to  be  more  ready 
to  give  way  to  his  wishes." 

"Why,  mother?  It  is  only  spoiling  him  when  his 
wishes  are  foolish.  He  is  getting  terribly  overbearing ; 
one  must  make  a  stand  somewhere." 

"  But,  Maud,  you  have  not  earned  anything  v/orth 
mentioning  yet ;  is  it  worth  while  to  have  so  much 
contention  for  such  a  tritle?" 

"  I  shall  earn  more  soon,"  said  Maud  shortlv ; 
"  and  if  I  earned  nothing,  Ralph  has  no  right  to  try 
to  coerce  me  in  this  way." 

"  You  forget,  Maud,  he  is  much  older  than  you, 
and  knows  a  great  deal  better  what  is  proper  for  you 
to  do." 


I 


ANOTHER  FAMILY   OF  THBEE, 


39 


joiisistent 
m  he  was 

ler's  siul- 

Norbury 

signs    for 


thing." 
>u  to  give 


as  good 
If." 
Jre  ready 

when  his 
■bearing ; 

]g  w^orth 
so  much 

shortly : 
it  to  try 


"  Mother,  do  you  believe  yourself  that  there  is 
anything  disgraceful  in  it?" 

"If  it  annoys  Ralph  so  much,  that  should  be  a 
sullicieut  reason  for  your  giving  it  up." 

"  Why  do  you  always  care  so  much  more  about 
Ralph  than  me,  mother?"  cried  Maud.  "  It  is  always 
what  will  please  him!  I  do  so  hate  being" —  She 
stopped,  ashamed  to  find  herself  already  breaking  the 
resolutions  she  had  made  to  be  kind  and  forbearing. 
"  Mother,"  she  said  in  a  different  tone,  "  I  beg  your 
pardon  ;  but  it  is  hard  to  be  always  the  one  in  the 
wrong.  You  know  I  would  give  anything  for  good 
lessons  in  painting,  and  it  is  the  only  way  I  see  to  get 
them.  Please  don't  ask  me  to  give  up  the  designing. 
1  really  can't ;  and  I  do  think  Mr.  Norbury  would  be 
very  angry,  for  he  has  taken  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
to  teach  me." 

So  saying  she  rose  from  the  table  and  went  to  her 
own  room,  where  she  passed  the  evening  in  a  weary 
and  disheartening  struggle  with  the  refractory  design. 


lan  you, 
for  you 


m 


CHAPTER   IV. 


THE    GREAT    MAN    HAS    A    FALL. 


m  \ 


AFTEli  INIiss  Warrington  left  him,  severiil  things 
occurred  to  delay  Mr.  Norbury's  departure 
from  his  office.  One  or  two  people  came  in  to  speak 
to  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to  have  a  long  consultation 
with  Mr.  Milwood  over  the  delinquencies  of  one  of 
the  dyers,  who  had  carelessly  damaged  a  considerable 
quantity  of  goods.  When  at  last  he  took  his  hat  and 
went  out  he  was  in  no  ver}'  enviable  frame  of  mind. 
A  number  of  small  matters  had  gone  contrary  with 
him. 

The  mist  was  thicker  than  he  had  thought.  He  had 
almost  to  grope  his  way  down  the  familiar  street ;  but 
when  he  had  turned  the  corner  and  reached  the 
broader  road,  he  went  on  with  more  confidence  and 
less  care.  There  were  many  passengers  in  the  streets, 
for  it  was  market  day,  and  the  country  people  had 
not  all  left  the  town ;  but  Mr.  Norbury  walked 
quickly,  caring  little  for  the  very  considerable  amount 
of  jostling  which  he  received  and,  perhaps,  returned. 

His  house  was  nearly  a  mile  from  the  factory,  and 
in  that  distance  he  had  to  take  three  or  four  turns,  as 

40 


i 


THE  GREAT  MAN  HAS  A  FALL. 


41 


I  things 
jpartiire 
0  speak 
ultation 
oue  of 
iderable 
liat  and 
f  mind, 
•y    with 

He  had 
et ;  but 
led  the 
ice  and 
streets, 
)le  had 
walked 
amount 
irned. 
ry,  and 
u'ns,  as 


there  was  no  very  direct  road  between  the  two  places. 
Tlie  fog  was  so  thick  that,  though  he  knew  the  way 
so  well,  he  took  a  wrong  turning  and  had  walked  some 
distance  before  he  perceived  his  mistake.  When  he 
did  so,  he  recognized  the  street  he  was  in,  and  instead 
of  retracing  his  steps,  decided  to  make  a  short  cut 
across  a  piece  of  land  that  had  long  been  lying  waste. 
This  would  bring  him  directly  into  the  street  where 
he  lived. 

Now  it  happened  that  Mr.  Norbury  had  not  walked 
in  that  direction  for  some  weeks,  and,  to  his  astonish- 
ment, he  soon  found  himself  stumbling  over  a  heap 
of  bricks.  This  should  have  warned  him  of  danger, 
but  he  was  so  near  home  that  he  did  not  like  to  turn 
back.  He  walked  very  slowly  and  cautiously,  but 
seemed  to  be  perfectly  entangled  among  heaps  of 
mortar,  piles  of  stone,  and  unfinished  brick  walls. 
The  fog  was  so  dense  that  he  could  not  see  half  a 
yard  in  front  of  him,  and  at  last  he  became  so  con- 
fused by  the  perils  of  the  way,  that  he  could  not 
decide  whether  he  was  going  towards  home  or  away 
from  it. 

By  this  time  he  would  have  been  thankful  to  reach 
even  the  point  he  had  started  from,  but  it  was  not  to 
be !  Turning  aside  to  avoid  a  lime  pit  on  the  right, 
he  incautiously  advanced  too  quickly  to  the  left, 
stumbled  over  something,  fell  headlong  a  distance  of 


42 


THE  BAINPROOt'  INVENTION. 


some  eight  or  nine  feet,  and  alighted  in  the  half-finished 
cellar  of  one  of  a  partly  built  row  of  houses. 

For  some  little  time  he  lay  stunned  by  the  fall,  and 
when  he  came  to  himself  he  was  lying  on  damp 
earth,  stiff,  bruised,  and  chilled  through  by  long  ex- 
posure to  the  foggy  air.  lie  could  not  move  without 
great  pain,  and  he  was  equally  confused  as  to  where 
he  was  and  how  he  had  come  there.  At  length  he 
began  to  remember  what  had  happened,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  making  some  effort  to  improve  his  situation 
occurred  to  him.  He  did  not  linow  how  late  it  might 
be,  and  he  began  to  fear  that  he  might  not  get  help 
that  niglit.  With  a  great  effort  he  managed  to  move 
a  little  from  the  uneasy  posture  in  which  he  had  been 
lying  ;  at  last  he  even  contrived  to  sit  up. 

He  had  matches  in  his  poclvct,  and  after  several 
vain  attempts  he  struck  one,  witli  the  agreeable  result 
of  being  able  to  see  the  fog  as  well  as  feel  it.  He  lit 
another.  It  glimmered  for  an  instant  on  the  brick  wall 
close  at  hand.  He  guessed  now  where  he  was,  and  the 
prospect  was  not  encouraging.  Poor  Mr.  Norbury ! 
he  grew  desperate,  and,  fancying  he  lieard  the  faint 
rumble  of  a  carriage  in  tlie  distance,  he  shouted  as 
loudly  as  he  could.  The  sound  of  wiieeis  came  nearer 
and  nearer  (at  least  there  was  the  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing tliat  he  was  not  far  from  tlie  road),  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  Mr.   Norbury  shouted  in  a  fashion  tliat 


TSS  BEE  AT  MxiN  HAS  A  FALL. 


43 


would  have  done  credit  to  his  rollicking,  noisy  clerk, 
Bob  Littleton.  He  listened  breathlessly,  gave  another 
wild  halloo,  and  waited  again,  then  fairly  groaned 
with  despair.     The  carriage  had  passed  and  gone  on. 

The  hour  that  followed  was  perhaps  the  most  try- 
ing that  ]Mr.  Norbury  had  ever  spent  in  his  life.  It 
was  trying  in  every  way  —  to  his  health,  to  his  tem- 
per, to  his  lungs,  and  to  his  dignity.  Every  time 
a  conveyance  rattled  by,  he  shouted  as  he  had  not 
shouted  since  he  was  a  boy,  but  his  efforts  brought 
no  relief.  Then  followed  intervals  of  suspense,  of 
anxious  waiting  and  listening.  All  in  vain,  no  one 
came  to  the  rescue.  He  felt  cramped  with  lying  on 
the  damp  ground,  and  the  pains  in  his  head  and  limbs 
became  more  violent.  He  shouted  and  shouted  again. 
Still  no  one  came  ! 

His  position  was  not  likely  perhaps  to  prove  con- 
ducive to  clear  reflection,  and  his  thoughts  wandered. 
He  thought  of  his  own  comfortable  fireside,  of  Elsie 
chatting  to  some  one  of  her  many  admirers,  of  his 
patent  and  the  factory,  of  his  father  and  the  old  days 
at  home  ;  and  then  he  meditated  strangely  on  death, 
thinking  less  of  the  dim  future  beyond  the  grave 
(very  dim  and  very  uncertain  to  him),  than  of  his 
unfinished  and  wasted  toils  to  add  one  improvement 
to  another.  Would  any  other  man,  he  wondered,  win 
from  the  traces  he  had  left  the  secret  that  had  foiled 


44 


THE  liAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


i 


him  so  long?    Another  carriage  passed  and  left  him 
there. 

He  was  in  despair,  past  shouting,  past  thinking, 
almost  past  caring  wliat  became  of  him,  when  a  famil- 
iar voice  sounded  from  the  darkness  above:  "Mr. 
Norbury!     Mr.  Norbury,  where  are  you?" 

He  answered  faintly,  and  another  voice  said  :  "  He 
is  there,  Warrington,  don't  you  hear?  down  one  of 
those  cellars,  I  suppose." 

"  How  can  he  have  got  in,  and  how  shall  we  get  him 
out?  "  muttered  Warrington. 

"Give  me  your  hand,  Ralph,  and  I'll  find  out 
what 's  the  matter.  It 's  lucky  if  no  bones  are 
broken.  Hold  the  light  steady  —  now  —  that 's  right ; 
let  go,  please ;  "  and  Bob  swung  himself  down,  not 
without  a  slip  that  threatened  to  disable  him  also. 
Then  Warrington  passed  the  lantern  to  him  and  he 
tried  to  discover  whether  Mr.  Norbury  was  seriously 
injured.  In  the  unsteady  light  the  mill  owner  pre- 
sented a  most  melancholy  appearance,  for  his  face 
was  white  and  bruised,  and  his  garments  were  covered 
with  mud  and  clay.  The  kind-hearted  little  clerk  was 
dismayed  at  the  spectacle.  "  I  am  afraid  he  is  badly 
hurt,  Warrington  !  "  ho  exclaimed.  He  spoke  to  the 
injured  man  and  tried  to  rouse  him  ;  but  he  neither 
answered  nor  stirred.  He  next  attempted  to  lift  him 
into  a  more  comfortable  posture,  but  he  was  heavy 


THE  GREAT  MAN  HAS  A  FALL, 


45 


and  Bob  not  very  strong  ;  so  .he  took  off  bis  overcoat 
anil  arranged  it  as  a  pillow  on  the  little  heap  of  bricks 
that  had  done  duty  before.  Having  accomplished 
this  improvement  he  went  to  consult  with  Ralph,  who 
was  still  waiting  above.  "I  don't  think  we  two  can 
manage  to  get  him  up  without  help,"  he  said;  "but 
if  you  '11  go  for  a  carriage  and  a  doctor,  I  '11  stay  here 
with  him." 

"Very  well;  I'll  be  as  quick  as  I  can.  There's 
something  passing  now  ;  "  and  Warrington  was  hur- 
rying away  when  Bob  called  out,  "  Here,  Warrington, 
you  had  better  take  the  lantern,  or  you  '11  be  in  one  of 
the  other  cellars  next." 

"Thank  you;  well,  perhaps  I  had,"  said  Ralph. 
So  Bob  was  left  in  the  darkness  to  keep  watch  beside 
a  man  vfho  might  be  dying,  for  anything  he  knew. 
He  sat  down  close  to  him,  listening  impatiently  for 
Warrington's  return.  The  silence  soon  began  to  be 
very  trying  to  his  nerves,  especially  as  it  was  broken 
at  irregular  intervals  by  the  deep  groans  of  the 
invalid.  Bob  expected  them,  and  ought  not  to  have 
been  startled ;  but  each  time  he  was  startled  never- 
tlieless.  By  and  by  he  began  to  whistle  softly  to  keep 
up  his  spirits,  but  his  tunes  sounded  very  melancholy 
down  in  the  cellar,  and  he  was  so  cold  that  he  could 
hardly  keep  his  teeth  from  chattering. 

He  stood  up  at  last  and  stamped  his  feet  to  warm 


46 


THE  BAIN  PROOF  INVENTION. 


\ 


them  ;  then,  by  way  of  doing  soiuctliing,  ho  iiiade  a 
tour  of  investigation  round  their  prison.  He  was  not 
reassured  to  find  that  without  help  from  above  he 
himself  would  have  some  ditllculty  in  escaping  from 
it,  for  the  masons  had  removed  their  planks  and 
ladders.  Suppose  something  had  happened  to  War- 
rington !  He  had  been  gone  so  long  that  Rob  began 
to  fancy  all  kinds  of  possible  and  impossible  explana- 
tions for  his  delay.  He  traveled  round  his  cage  three 
times,  feeling  the  walls  with  his  hands,  but  in  the 
darkness  he  failed  to  discover  any  means  of  egress ; 
and  at  last  he  sat  down  beside  his  unconscious  com- 
panion to  wait  with  all  the  patience  he  could  muster. 

Bob  had  been  returning  home,  after  doing  some 
business  in  the  town,  when  he  came  suddenly  upon 
Warrington  standing  perfectly  still  in  the  middle  of 
the  road  with  a  lantern  in  his  hand.  This  astonishing 
sight  brought  Bob  to  a  halt,  and  he  was  going  to  ask 
whether  Ralph  had  lost  his  way,  when  that  dignified 
gentleman  made  a  hasty  but  imperious  gesture  to 
silence  him,  saying  in  impressive  tones,  "  Listen ! 
don't  3'ou  hear,  Littleton  ?  " 

"  Hear  what?  "  said  Bob,  staring  with  all  his  might 
into  the  darkness. 

"Mr.  Norbury.  I  am  pretty  sure  I  lieard  him 
calling." 

"Mr.    Norbury!"    exclaimed    Bob    in    accents   of 


THE   GREAT  MAN  HAS  A   FALL. 


47 


le  iiKule  a 
[e  was  not 

above  he 
pin^  from 
aiiks  and 
I  to  War- 
^ob  began 
!  explana- 
3age  three 
lit  in  the 
)f  egress ; 
ions  corn- 
el muster. 
'Ing  some 
anly  upon 
middle  of 
Uouishing 
ng  to  ask 

dignified 
estui'e  to 
"  Listen  ! 

his  might 

2ard    him 

[jcents   of 


bewilderment.    "  He  's  safe  at  home  long  ago.    You  're 
dreaming,  Warrington  !  " 

"  He  is  not  safe  at  liomo,  for  I  iiavo  just  come  from 
there ;  and  he  is  n't  at  the  olllee,  for  Miss  Norbury 
sent  to  see." 

Bob  gave  a  low  whistle.  "  He  'd  never  lose  himself 
in  AVharton,  Ilalph.  He  knows  tlie  place  too  well. 
1  expect  he  luvs  just  gone  to  call  on  some  one." 

"  I  don't  think  so.  He  has  never  done  such  a  thing 
before,  without  letting  them  know  at  home.  Besides, 
I  am  sure  I  heard  some  one  callin.!;  over  there." 

"Well,  if  you  did,"  said  Bob  with  liis  usual  prac- 
ticality, "  let  us  go  and  look  for  him."  So  saying  he 
plunged  valiantly  into  the  fog,  leaving  Warrington  to 
follow  ;  but  he  was  brought  to  a  standstill,  as  Mr. 
Norbury  had  been,  by  a  new  brick  wall.  "  Come  on, 
Warrington!"  he  shouted;  "I  do  believe  I  did  hear 
soniething  then,  but  I  've  got  mi-.ed  up  with  the  tower 
of  Babel  or  something,  and  I  can't  find  ray  way  out." 

For  the  next  few  minutes  he  followed  cautiously  in  the 
wake  of  Warrington's  lantern.  Suddenly  he  stopped, 
<2;rasping  Ralph  unceremoniously  by  tlie  arm.  "  What 
fools  we  are!"  he  exclaimed,  "to  risk  our  necks 
amongst  all  this  rubbish  !  Mr.  Norbury  always  goes 
home  up    ^ing  Street  and  along  Dunham  Road." 

Ralph  shook  off  his  hand  a  little  roughly,  for  he 
resented  the  familiarity  of  both  speech  and   action, 


48 


THE  RAINl'lWOF  INVENTION, 


\  ' 


I    \ 


and  replied:  "  F  had  to  come  to  Mr.  Drayton's  to 
borrow  this  luntcM'n,  uiul  I  am  sure  I  heard  Mr. 
Norbury  calling  for  luilp." 

'*\Vhy  doesn't  he  call  now  then?"  said  Hob  im- 
patiently,    "  Ilnsh  !  what 's  that?  " 

"  I  don't  know  ;  some  drunken  fellow  who  has  lost 
his  way,  I  should  think." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  he.     Let  us  look  and  see." 

But  that  was  more  easily  said  than  done,  for  the 
lantern  only  threw  a  narrow  track  of  liglit  in  front, 
and  left  the  mist  on  either  side  utterly  unilluminated. 
There  was  no  sound  to  guide  tiiom,  and  though  they 
searched  carefully  all  over  the  waste  ground,  they 
found  no  trace  of  him,  except  some  fresh  footprints, 
that,  as  Bob  said,  "  might  just  as  well  have  been 
made  by  any  one  else." 

"I  wish  he  would  give  on?  good  shout!"  said 
Littleton  as  they  again  began  to  stumble  amongst  the 
bricks  and  pitfalls  of  the  new  buildings.  He  had 
hardly  spoken  when,  seeming  to  come  almost  from 
beneath  their  feet,  they  heard  not  a  shout,  but  a 
groan.  Then  Bob  had  scrambled  down  into  the  cellar, 
as  we  have  already  stated,  and  Warrington  had  gone 
for  assistance. 

It  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  get  Mr.  Norbury  safely 
up  without  hurting  him,  even  with  the  help  of  the 
men  who  came  with  Warrington.     He  groaned  a  good 


I 


'% 
:^, 


^ 


■m 


THE   (fJiEAT  MAX  HAS  A    FALL. 


40 


yton's  to 
'jird    Mr. 

Hub    iin- 

)  liuu  lost 

},  for  the 
in  front, 
mniiuited. 
)iigli  tlicy 
11  ml,  they 
ootpriiits, 
ave   beeu 

It!"  said 
ongst  the 
He  had 
lost  from 
it,  but  a 
the  cellar, 
iiad  gone 

[iry  safely 
Ip  of  the 
id  a  good 


deal  as  they  put  him  into  the  cab,  but  he  did  not  open 
his  eyes,  and  his  face  looked  drawn  and  pali;  in  the 
liglit  of  the  lantern. 

"  Do  you  think  he  is  dying,  Ual[)h?  "  gasped  Rob. 

"  Dying  !  "  repeated  Warrington  ;  "  I  hope  not,  but 
—  I  don't  know." 

'*  Had  n't  you  better  go  on  and  break  it  to  them?" 
HUggosted  Littleton  after  a  pause.  "  They  ought  to 
be  told." 

"Won't  you  go?"  asked  Ralpii,  unwilling  for 
(Mice  to  go  to  Mr.  Norbury's  house  or  to  see  his 
daughter. 

"No,  oh,  no!  I  don't  know  them  as  well  as  you 
do.  You  go  on  quickly  and  I  '11  see  Mr.  Norbury 
safely  home,  and  then  I'll  run  for  the  doctor." 

Halpii  made  no  more  excuses  but  hurried  on.  and  in 
spitt'  of  his  desire  to  be  calm  and  collected,  gave  such 
a  thundering  rap  at  the  door  that  he  startled  the  whole 
household. 

Elsie  met  him  in  the  hall  and  led  hii"  into  the  draw- 
ing room.  She  could  see  from  his  face  that  something 
tdaiining  had  happened.  Iler  quickness  of  apprehen- 
sion made  his  errand  easier.  He  told  his  story  in  a 
very  f(!w  words,  but  rather  incoherently. 

"Then  you  think  him  dangerously  hurt?"  said  Elsie. 

"  I  fear  so.  Miss  Norbury." 
With  a  lialf-conteuiptuous  glance  at  her  mother, 


i 


ill 


I 


1 


'!  i; 


.1 

i(      :; 


50 


THE  BAINPJiOOF  INVENTION. 


wliD  was  hysterical  in  her  nervous  excitement,  Elsie 
stepped  to  the  bell  and  rang  it.  When  the  servant 
appeared  she  quietly  ordered  her  father's  room  to  bo 
prepared  and  told  the  girl  to  send  for  the  doctor. 
Ralph  explained  that  Bob  was  going,  and  she  did  not 
forget  to  expresy  her  thanks  for  their  thoughtfulness, 
even  though  she  could  hear  the  wheels  already  at  the 
door.  She  told  them  where  to  take  him,  and  what  to 
do,  but  at  the  sight  of  her  father's  deathlike  face  her 
own  paled  slightly  Like  the  young  men,  she  feared 
the  worst ;  but  "  there  was  no  immediate  danger,"  the 
doctor  said,  "  and  if  great  care  was  taken  there  might 
not  be  danger  at  all." 

Ralph  lingered  until  he  was  satisfied  that  he  could 
be  of  no  furthev  use,  and  then  left  very  regretfully, 
for  he  fancied  that  Miss  Norbury  found  his  presence 
a  comfort  in  her  trial. 

Late  as  it  was,  Bob  had  waited  for  him,  being 
anxious  to  hear  the  doctor's  report,  and  not  liking  to 
go  into  the  house. 

But  Dr.  Thay  had  been  mistaken.  In  3pite  of  all 
possible  care  Mr.  Norbury  grew  worse  ;  for  several 
days  he  was  delirious  and  hung  between  life  and 
death.  He  was  a  difficult  patient  to  nurse,  for  it  was 
his  first  serious  illness,  and  he  would  not  submit  to 
the  doctor'L'>  orders.  As  his  mind  began  to  get  clearer 
his  impatience  and  irritability  increased,  for  he  could 


THE  GBEAT  MAN  HAS  A  FALL. 


51 


not  LMi dure  the  thought  that  "his  business  was  going 
to  rack  and  ruin"  in  his  absence  ;  yet  he  was  too  weak 
and  helpless  to  take  the  law  Into  his  own  hands  and 
follo"  liis  ordinary  course  of  life  as  he  would  have 
desired. 


•-T"«-T"K  <  jr«irc 


I 


CHAPTER  V. 

FOR  Bessie's  sake — and  his  0"\vn. 

A  FORTNIGHT  passed  and  Mr.  Norbury  was  still 
confined  to  his  bed,  fretting  and  fuming  over 
his  misfortune,  and  spending  the  greater  part  of  his 
weary,  restless  days  in  the  unprofitable  labor  of  count- 
ing the  prol)al)le  magnitude  of  his  losses. 

"Elsie,"  he  said,  one  morning  after  the  physician's 
visit,  "I  think  that  Dr.  Thay  knows  nothing  about 
his  business.  Here  he  says  this  morning  that  I  am 
worse,  have  more  fever,  or  some  such  nonsense,  and 
that  I  must  not  see  any  one  on  business.  Much  he 
knows  about  it !  I  shall  not  try  him  any  longer,  and 
I  want  you  to  write  to  Dr.  Morton  to  come  down  at 
once." 

"  Who,  the  London  doctor?" 

"Yes,  it  will  be  very  expensive,  but  I  am  losing 
hundreds,  perhaps  thousands,  while  I  lie  here.  Mil- 
wood  was  up  yesterday,  and  from  his  own  account  he 
seems  to  be  muddling  things  fearfully,  and  the  rest 
of  them  are  worse.  There  is  not  one  with  a  decent 
head  on  his  shoulders  in  the  whole  set  of  them." 

"How  can  I  get  Dr.  Morton's  address?  " 

62 


FOR  BESSIE'S  SAKE— AND  HIS  OWN.       53 


'*  Thay  will  give  it  to  you.  I  told  him  I  was  tired  of 
his  shilly-shally  work  and  intended  to  try  some  one 
really  first-rate.  I  never  heard  such  nonsense ;  he 
insists  that  it  is  my  own  fault,  and  that  I  should  be 
well  in  less  than  a  month,  if  I  could  only  let  things  go 
at  the  factory  without  worrying  over  them.  Less  than 
a  month  indeed  !  why,  the  business  will  be  ruined  in 
half  th.ai  time  !  " 

The  London  specialist  could  not  arrange  to  journey 
up  to  Wharton  for  several  days  after  Elsie's  letter 
reached  him,  and  when  he  did  at  length  arrive  the 
invalid  had  worked  himself  up  to  such  a  state  of 
anxiety  and  impatience  that  he  was  on  the  very  verge 
of  delirium  again. 

Alas !  his  hopes  of  a  speedy  and  complete  recovery 
were  ruthlessly  crushed.  80  far  from  being  less  rigor- 
ous in  his  treatment  than  his  former  physician.  Dr. 
Morton  seemed  to  poor  Mr.  Norbury  to  forbid  every- 
thing that  mitigated  his  sufferings  in  the  least.  But 
he  tilked  so  learnedly  of  all  the  ills  that  would  inevi- 
tably be  the  result  of  disobedience,  and  he  drew  such 
a  picture  of  the  decrepitude  to  which  his  patient  might 
be  reduced  that  he  was  frightened  into  submission. 
The  great  man  gave  unqualified  approval  to  his  pred- 
ecessor's management  of  the  case,  so  the  refractory 
invalid  sullenlv  reinstated  Dr.  Thav  as  his  adviser, 
and  at  last  consented  to  lie    for   days   together  in  a 


64 


THE  BAINrBOOF  INVENTION. 


room  from  which  the  light  and  sound  and  bustle  of 
the  world  were  carefully  excluded.  Nay,  he  did  more. 
Always  thorough  in  what  he  undertook,  he  was  now 
so  bent  on  getting  well,  that  he  resolved  to  follow  his 
doctor's  directions  to  the  bitter  end.  He  gave  orders 
that,  come  what  might,  the  factory  must  be  managed 
without  him  for  a  time,  though  he  darkly  hinted  that 
future  promotions  would  depend  upon  the  behavior 
of  his  subordinates  at  this  crisis.  Having  thus  pro- 
vided to  the  best  of  his  ability  for  the  object  nearest 
his  heart,  he  resigned  himself  to  the  strange  hiber- 
nating existence  prescribed  by  his  medical  men.  A 
curious  reward  followed  this  exercise  of  resolution. 
Skeptical  as  he  had  been  as  to  its  possibility,  a  restful 
calm  took  possession  of  him,  when  he  had  finally  cut 
himself  off  from  the  pains  and  pleasures  of  business. 
He  slept  and  ate  well,  and  his  shaken  nerves  began  to 
recover  their  tone.  Then  Dr.  Thay  recommended 
change  of  air  and  scene,  and  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life  Mr.  Norbury  allowed  himself  something  worthy 
of  the  name  of  a  holiday. 

It  was  odd  how  much  more  he  thought  of  Dr.  Thay's 
advice  since  it  had  chanced  to  coincide  so  exactly  with 
that  of  the  expensive  Loudon  physician.  He  had  now 
some  of  the  old  satisfaction  in  making  a  good  bargain 
when  he  received  a  professional  visit  from  the  young 
man,  and  he  endured  his  tyranny  with  a  better  grace 


FOR  BESSIE'S  SAKE  — AND  HIS  OWN.       55 


for  the  soothing  thought  that  at  least  he  was  getting 
good  value  for  his  nionoy. 

P^lsie  managed  everything  in  these  days  of  inva- 
lidism. She  opened  her  father's  letters  and  answered 
them  as  well  as  she  could,  except  those  that  were 
addressed  directly  to  the  office.  She  arranged  for 
lodgings  at  Southport,  and  carried  her  father  and 
mother  off  there  as  soon  as  Mr.  Norbury  could  be 
moved.  To  do  her  justice,  though  she  found  the 
place  rather  dull  and  stupid,  she  exerted  herself  to 
keep  her  parents  amused  and  happy,  and  her  success 
was  really  marvelous,  considering  the  material  she  had 
to  work  upon. 

But  that  fortnight  by  the  sea,  with  its  unique  expe- 
rience of  rest  and  leisure  to  the  hard-working  manu- 
facturer, came  to  an  end  at  last.  One  evening,  as 
Elsie  and  he  wandered  on  the  beach,  Mr.  Norburv 
broke  the  silence  he  had  mniutained  on  the  affairs  of 
the  factory.  "Elsie,"  he  said,  *' I  have  asked  Dr. 
Thay  to  come  down  to-morrow,  and  all  being  well, 
we  will  go  home  on  Monday." 

"  Well,  papa,  I  am  quite  ready  to  go  home  whenever 
you  like,"  she  replied. 

"  I  am  more  than  ready.  I  would  give  a  good  deal 
to  know  what  those  fellows  have  been  doing  in  my 
absence.  I  think  INIilwood  is  to  be  trusted,  and  pt!r- 
haps  Warrington ;    but  neither  of    them   has   a   clear 


5C 


THE  BAINmOOF  INVENTION. 


t 


enougli  nead  for  business,  except  when  he  can  be 
looked  after  the  whole  time.  I  wish  you  had  been  a 
boy,  Elsie." 

*»0  papa,  that  is  too  bad  of  you!  I  do  believe 
you  would  think  twice  as  much  of  me  if  you  could 
make  me  useful  at  the  factory." 

Mr.  Norbury's  laugh  had  a  touch  of  grimness  in  it. 
"  Perhaps  I  sliould  ;  who  knows?  However,  you  are 
not,  and  that 's  all  about  it !  I  've  been  wishing  that 
we  had  n't  lost  sight  of  that  nephew  of  mine  in  the 
way  we  did." 

"Why,  father?" 

"  In  the  first  place,  I  really  need  some  one  to  take 
an  interest  in  the  business    besides    mvsclf.     I    sliall 

ft/ 

never  be  the  man  I  was  before  this  accident ;  both 
Thay  and  Morton  said  so"  — 

"I  think  YOU  are  mistaken,  father.  Tliev  told  me 
again  and  again  that  if  you  would  only  spare  your- 
self, you  would  be  all  right  —  as  well  as  ever,  in 
fact !  " 

"Stuff  and  nonsense,  Elsie  !  They  did  n't  wish  to 
alarm  you,  that  was  all.  But  about  Arthur  Lester  — 
how  old  is  he?     I  don't  remember." 

"Three  or  four  and  twenty,  1  think." 

"He  was  a  bright,  smart  fellow  enough  when  he 
stayed  with  us  that  time  for  his  holidays ;  and  if  only 
he  isn't  too   fine   a   gentleman,  something   might    be 


FOB  BESSIE'S  SAKE— AND  11  IS  OWN.       57 


less  in  it. 


made  of  liiiii,  I  should  say.  1  have  half  a  iiiliul  to 
write  and  ask  him  to  come  down;  and  then,  if  he 
suits  me,  I  dare  say  J  could  make  it  well  worth  his 
while  to  stay." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  would  take  him  into  the 
])usine8s?" 

"I  shall  do  nothing  in  a  hurry,  Elsie  ;  you  may  be 
sure  of  that.  It  is  not  my  custom  to  act  without 
mature  deliberation,"  said  Mr.  Norbury  reprovingly. 
"  Rut  if  he  shows  any  capacity  for  business,  and  is 
willing  to  do  his  best  and  make  himself  useful,  I  shall 
certainly  make  it  worth  his  while." 

"I  hope  he'll  come.  He  used  to  be  a  very  nice 
boy,"  said  Elsie.  ""What  put  him  into  your  head 
now,  papa?" 

"I  don't  know — unless  it  is  that  I  have  been 
thinking  a  good  deal  of  poor  Bessie  during  these 
weeks.  Perhaps  I  was  hard  on  her,  and  I  might  have 
done  more  for  this  boy  of  hers.  I  should  like  to  give 
liim  a  chance.  I  always  meant  to  look  after  him  a 
l)it,  but  I  have  been  so  busv  and  —  tliat  meddlesome 
Armstrong  annoyed  me  so  much  about  the  lad  that  I 
fmally  washed  my  hands  of  him.  Perhaps  it  was  not 
quite  just ;  but  the  thing  is  done,  and  there  's  nothing 
for  it  but  to  make  the  best  of  it !  " 

"  Suppose  Arthur  won't  come  !  " 

"If  he  won't,  it  will  be  more  his  loss  than  mine. 


58 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


tt 
,,|l 


It  will  be  easier  for  me  to  get  some  one  to  look 
after  the  business  than  for  him  to  get  such  jiuother 
chance  as  I  ihall  give  him.  Well,  for  Bessie's  sake, 
I  hope  he  '11  be  reasonal)le." 

"  It  all  sounds  like  a  story,"  said  Elsie.  "  I  never 
heard  anything  more  romantic." 

"  Romantic.  Elsie?  I  thought  you  had  more  sense  ! 
Poor  Bessie  made  a  re3:ular  fool  of  herself,  and  hud 
to  suffer  for  it,  too;  raore's  the  pity." 

Throughout  his  illness  Mr.  Norbury  had  thought  of 
no  one  so  often  as  the  sister  whom  he  had  not  seen 
for  twenty-five  years;  who  had,  indeed,  been  in  her 
grave  for  more  than  twenty.  Other  people  l)esidcs 
Elsie  had  thought  her  story  romantic ;  but,  short  as 
hor  life  had  been,  the  poor  little  heroine  had  lived  to 
regret  that  it  had  not  ended  in  the  same  ordinary 
fashion  in  which  it  had  l^egun. 

She  ha<l  been  brought  up  in  a  tiny  cottage  near  the 
mills  at  inglefield,  ana  till  she  vva"-'  oightc!  n  she  had 
bersn  contented  and  hp.i)py  in  her  home.  But,  tliough 
he  never  knew  it,  her  brother's  ambitious  dreams 
found  an  echo  .n  her  own  heart  aici  when  he  talked, 
as  he  occasionally  did,  of  his  grand  hopts  of  fame 
and  fortune,  the  girl  grew  tired  of  her  humble  working 
life,  and  longed  to  see  something  of  the  great  world 
and  to  try  whrt  it  was  "  to  be  a  lady." 

Not   far   from   Ingiehekl  was   the   larger   town   of 


iJ 


FOB  BESSIE'S  SAKE— AND  HIS   OWN.      59 


to   look 

Jinotlier 

i'H  sake, 

'  r  never 

'c  sense  ! 
and  had 

ought  of 
not  seen 
n  in  her 
besides 
short  as 
lived  to 
ordinary 

near  the 
slie  had 
,  th(jug!i 
dreams 
;  talked, 
of  fame 
working 
at  world 

town   of 


Beresford,  where  a  considerable  number  of  soldiers 
were  often  quartered,  and  there  Arthur's  father,  then 
only  a  lieutenant  and  a  very  young  man,  had  been 
stationed  for  some  months.  Unhappily  some  accident, 
or  course  of  accidents,  threw  pretty  Bessie  Norbury 
continually  in  his  Avay,  and  she  was  so  very  pretty  and 
her  ways  were  so  winning  that  the  gay  young  soldier 
lost  his  heart  to  her.  His  love  was  returned,  and 
more  than  returned.  Her  brightest  dreams  seemed  to 
be  coming  true,  and  when  Lester's  regiment  was 
ordered  suddenly  to  India,  she  yielded  at  once  to  his 
wish  that  they  should  be  married  before  he  sailed,  and 
that  she  should  accompany  him.  There  was  no  time 
to  ask  the  leave  of  Lester's  father,  and  they  hoped 
that  when  the  thing  was  done  he  would  not  refuse  his 
forgiveness,  at  least. 

But  the  proud  old  man  did  not  forgive  them  so 
readilv.  He  came  of  a  good  old-countrv  familv,  and 
was  the  owner  of  a  considerable  estate,  and  he  was 
horrified  that  his  eldest  sou  should  so  far  forget  his 
position  as  to  marry  a  stone  mason's  daughter  —  a  girl 
without  birth,  breeding,  or  education  —  all  for  the 
sake  of  her  pretty  face !  The  thing  was  done,  and 
could  not  be  undone  ;  but  from  that  day  he  had  acted 
as  if  the  young  man  were  dead.  His  anger  never 
softened.  Lester  went  out  to  India  with  ruined 
prospects,  and  his  younger  brother,  who,  as  time  went 


ii 


60 


TIIK  ItAINl'liOOF  INVENTION, 


:« 
h 


on,  showed  the  siime  iiiii)hictil)li!,  unyieldiiifj;  disposi- 
tion as  his  ftitlier,  toolv  his  pUice  and  enjoyed  idl  that 
wonld  have  been  his. 

The  saddest  part  of  the  story  is  yet  to  come. 
Captain  Lester  and  his  wife  kept  their  trouble  loyally 
to  themselves,  but  in  their  case  the  old  proverb  came 
tine  painfully  early  —  married  in  haste,  they  repented 
at  leisure.  Bessie  Norbury's  pretty  face  had  been  her 
chief  charm  in  the  eyes  of  her  husband,  —  though  she 
had  nobler  qualities  which  he  never  recognized,  — but 
they  soon  found  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  com- 
panionship between  them.  Lester's  tastes  were  culti- 
vated and  his  manners  refined,  while  his  wife's  were 
little  above  those  common  to  her  class.  Lester 
admitted  to  himself  that  he  ought  not  to  have 
expected  more  of  her,  but  he  had  done  so,  and  the 
disai)pointment  was  bitter.  Every  day  brought  fresh 
annoyance  to  him,  and  he  became  unreasonably  impa- 
tient with  very  natural  mistakes,  while  Bessie  made 
matters  worse  with  her  nervous  apprehensions  of 
offending  him,  which  she  showed  plainly  enough  to  all 
the  world.  She  had  an  exaggerated  idea  of  his 
position,  and  in  her  efforts  to  do  justice  to  it  she 
offended  his  taste  and  wasted  his  money,  while  she 
made  herself  and  him  ridiculous  with  well-meant 
attemjits  to  imitate  the  customs  and  conversation  of  a 
society  in  which  she  was  not  at  home. 


FOE  BESSIE'S  SAKE— AND  IIJS  OWiV.       61 


Ah  the  glamour  and  illusion  of  his  love  passed 
away,  he  saw  only  too  clearly  all  that  his  marriage 
had  cost  him.  lie  rightly  blamed  himself  for  it  more 
than  Bessie,  and  he  tried  his  utmost  to  be  kind  and 
just  to  her,  but  if  only  his  blindness  had  lasted,  how 
much  better  it  would  have  been  for  both !  At  the 
Ijest,  justice  was  a  poor  substitute  for  the  love  which 
he  had  vowed  should  be  hers  till  death  ;  and,  in  spite 
of  himself,  he  sometimes  gave  her  less  than  justice. 
Poor  Bessie,  slow  as  she  was  in  some  things,  soon 
perceived  that  she  had  lost  her  husband's  love  beyond 
recovery,  and  grew  paler  and  sadder  every  week.  To 
both  the  burden  seemed  too  heavy  to  be  borne,  and 
they  looked  forward  despairingly  to  the  long  roll  of 
the  coming  years,  clouded  already  with  disappointment 
and  misery. 

Yet  the  end  was  close  at  hand.  Bessie  was  struck 
down  by  one  of  the  terrible  diseases  of  that  hot 
climate,  just  as  her  baby  was  beginning  to  give  her  a 
u'lw  joy  and  hope  in  life.  A  few  hours  of  delirium, 
and  then  all  was  over ;  but  those  few  hours  had  shown 
Lester  what  he  ought  never  to  have  doubted.  "With 
all  her  faults,  his  wife  had  loved  him  with  unfaltering 
truth  and  patience.  His  neglect  had  not  killed  her 
love,  though  it  had  made  death  welcome.  It  was  with 
bitter  remorse  that  he  laid  his  unhappy  wife,  still  so 
young  and  pretty,  in  her   grave.     Oh,  he   had  been 


II 


1     : 


>■      '^ 


it 

1           i  ■: 

62 


TJIE  RAINriiOOF  INVENTION. 


blind!  twice-over  l)liiKl !  He  liad  been  foolish  to 
many  her,  smd  wicked  to  make  her  HutTer  so  for  what 
was  not  her  faiilt. 

Bessie's  death  grieved  him  more  than  he  would  have 
believed  possible.  Henceforward  lie  devoted  himself 
entirely  to  his  sou  and  to  his  profession ;  and  in  the 
child's  admiration  and  affection  he  found  comfort.  In 
after  years  Captain  Lester  lived  in  his  son's  memory 
as  a  saint  and  a  hero,  for,  from  the  dark  hour  when 
he  sat  beside  Bessie's  deathbed,  he  had  set  self  aside 
and  had  lived  for  God  and  his  fellow  men.  His  little 
lad  looked  up  to  him  with  loving  reverence,  for  by  his 
own  high  example  he  taught  him  to  be  true  and  manly 
and  unselfish;  and  when  Arthur  had  his  own  way  to 
make  in  ♦ho  world  the  beautiful  and  noble  memories 
of  his  earliest  days  served  as  a  witness  in  his  heart 
against  evil,  and  called  him  to  make  choice  of  what 
was  pure  and  good.  Hi^>  loving  admiration  knew  no 
check,  even  when  he  heard  from  his  father's  own  lips 
the  story  of  his  sin  ;  but,  strange  to  say,  at  first  it  had 
grieved  him  sorely  to  learn  how  humble  his  mother's 
birth  had  been.  He  was  but  ualf  reconciled  to  the  fact 
when  his  father  pointed  out  that  still  he  might  be  a 
gentleman  if  he  would,  and  quoted  with  his  grave,  quiet 
smile  the  famous  words  of  the  ploughman  poet :  — 

"  The  rank  is  but  the  guinea-staiDp, 
The  man's  the  gowil  for  a'  that." 


FOR    li ESSIE'S  SAKE— AND  HIS  OWN.      63 


FJko  most  children,  Arthur  set  an  undue  vulue  on 
uorldly  position,  lie  was  well  read  in  Scott's  ro- 
nlanc•(^s,  and  believed  with  all  his  heart  in  certain 
nnniistakable  sii;ns  of  high  birth,  so  that  he  never 
regarded  "  the  gray-haired  seneschal"  as  showing 
any  remarkable  keenness  of  insight  when  he  graded 
liis  lord's  guests  at  a  gUince  in  the  order  of  their  rank. 
On  the  contrary,  he  would  in  those  davs  have  dared 
to  att(uni)t  some  such  feat  himself.  Hut  that  early 
revelation  of  his  true  position  had  its  effect,  ncver- 
tlu!l(!ss,  for,  in  spite  of  himself,  he  had  to  own  his 
real  kinship  with  ''  the  horny-handed  sons  of  toil," 
tlioui!;li  the  graces  and  relinements  of  those  whose  lot 
was  cast  in  the  higher  ranks  of  society  pleased  him 
inllnitely  better. 

Captain  Lester  was  able  to  keep  his  boy  in  India 
longer  than  most  parents,  as  he  was  stationed  for 
some  lime  in  the  comparatively  cool  hill  country ; 
indi'cd,  Artluu'  and  his  father  had  never  been  parted 
for  more  than  a  few  days  at  a  time,  till  the  regiment 
was  ordered  to  the  seat  of  war  in  Afghanistan. 
Ik' fore  he  left,  Captain  Lester  made  all  arrangements 
to  send  his  son  to  England,  but  he  had  not  started  on 
his  long  journey  when  the  regiment  marched  away  to 
join  tli'3  rest  of  the  army.  Arthur  never  felt  prouder 
of  his  handsome,  soldierly  father  than  on  that  last 
sad  morning  when  he  bade  him  farewell,  for  a  longer 


MS 


64 


THE  BAINPliOOF  INVENTION. 


time  than  he  knew,  for  Captain  Lester  died  bravely 
and  gloriously,  men  said,  at  the  head  of  his  company. 

Strange  to  say,  much  as  he  thought  of  his  father, 
Arthur  never  felt  inclined  towards  a  soldier's  life. 
He  would  have  much  preferred  to  enter  one  of  the 
learned  professions,  but  his  inheritance  was  so  small 
that  it  buvely  sufficed  to  give  him  an  ordinary  educa- 
tion at  a  middle-class  school.  His  gurrdiun,  Mr. 
Armstrong,  made  great  efforts  to  induce  either  his 
father's  or  his  mother's  family  to  take  charge  of  him. 
Mr.  Norbnry  made  vague  promises  and  invited  him 
once  to  spend  his  Christmas  holidays  at  Wharton,  but 
Mr.  Lester  did  nothing ;  he  did  not  even  answer  Mr. 
Armstrong's  letters.  Then  that  gentleman  lost  pa- 
tience, and  wrote  so  sharply  to  both  of  Arthur's 
relations  that,  though  his  grandfather  still  refused  to 
be  provoked  into  a  reply,  Mr.  Norbury  was  mortally 
offended,  and  from  that  day  to  the  time  of  his  illness 
apparently  succeeded  in  dismissing  all  thoughts  of  his 
nephew  from  his  mind. 

Arthur  nearly  ruined  his  health  by  studying  for  a 
scholarship  at  Cambridge,  but  le  lost  it  by  a  few 
marks ;  and  having  by  that  time  exhausted  the  small 
sum  which  his  father  had  contrived  to  save  for  him, 
he  vias  obliged,  much  against  his  will,  to  take  his 
guai'diaii's  advice  and  apply  for  a  clerkship  in  a  great 
Loudon  warehouse.     It  was   fortunate   for   him   that 


FOB  BESSIE'S  SAKE  —  AND  HIS  OWN.      65 


Mr.  Armstrong's  influence  was  sufficient  to  get  this 
position  for  him  ;  but  Arthur  never  could  persuade 
himself  that  he  was  happy  in  his  fate.  He  hated 
both  his  office  life  and  the  smoky,  noisy  city  from 
wbich  there  was  no  escape  for  him  from  one  week's 
Olid  to  another.  He  was  still  employed  in  the  office 
ill  which  Mr.  Armstrong  had  placed  him  when  he  left 
school,  but  promotion  was  slow  and  his  salary  was 
still  so  small  that  he  had  to  practice  the  greatest 
economy.  His  work  was  monotonous  but  not  over- 
taxing to  brain  or  strength,  and  in  his  leisure  hours 
Arthur  studied  a  good  deal.  Latterly,  indeed,  he  had 
been  trying  his  hand  at  writing,  as  well  as  reading, 
and  he  was  beginning  to  hope  that  the  way  of  escape 
might  yet  open  from  his  distasteful  London  life.  He 
looked  back  to  the  years  with  his  father  as  by  far  the 
happiest  he  had  ever  spent,  but  he  liked  to  dream  of 
some  time,  far  in  the  future,  when  he  should  again 
have  a  home.  His  dreams  were  as  vague  yet  as  they 
were  pleasant,  but  they  were  all  bound  up  with  the 
great  things  he  hoped  to  do  with  his  pen,  though  he 
had  not  yet  succeeded  in  inducing  any  publisher  or 
editor  to  make  the  venture  of  printing  his  productions. 
If  Mr.  Norbury  had  known  in  what  direction  his 
nephew's  ambition  lay,  he  might  have  reconsider'^d  the 
advisability  of  inviting  him  to  Wharton,  but  he  had 
no  means  of  knowing ;  so  before  he  left  Southport  he 


66 


THE  EAINVIiOOF  INVENTION. 


■r  t  '  i 


dictated  to  Elsie  u  letter,  desiring  Arthur  Lester  to 
come  down  to  Wharton  without  delay ;  and  after  a 
little  hesitation  the  young  man  accepted  both  the 
invitation  and  the  apology  for  past  neglect  with  which 
it  was  accompanied. 


in     n 


CHAPTER  VI. 


ARTHUR     LESTER 


NEARLY  a  week  after  they  reached  liome  Elsie 
was  sitting  at  dusk  in  her  own  room,  when  the 
servant  knocked  at  the  door.  "  Mr.  Lester  has  come, 
J\Iiss  Norbury,"  she  said.  "  Missus  told  me  to  tell 
you." 

"  Very  well,  Mary  ;  I  will  come  down." 
Elsie  was  eager  to  see  her  unknown  cousin.  She 
stood  for  a  moment  in  the  dimly  lighted  hall  before 
entering  the  drawing  room.  Arthur  was  standing 
l)eforc  the  fire  on  the  side  opposite  the  door.  She  had 
a  good  view  of  him  from  where  she  stood,  though  he 
did  not  see  her.  The  young  man  was  tall,  slight,  and 
decidedly  good  looking,  and  Elsie  found  herself  com- 
paring him  with  the  small,  delicate-looking  little  lad 
who  had  visited  them  twelve  years  before.  He  had 
alteied  greatly,  though  his  hair  was  scarcely  a  shade 
darker,  and  his  eyes  were  as  clear  and  almost  as  blue 
us  they  had  been  in  his  childish  davs.  He  looked 
manlier  than  Elsie  had  expected,  and  altogether  he 
impressed  her  very  favorably.  She  began  to  think 
that  they  had  lost  a  good  deal  in  not  keeping  up  the 

67 


I-    I 
■  i  i 


u 

68 


THE  BAINPltOOF  INVENTION. 


acqiiaiutance  with  liim,  and  already  in  imagination  she 
pictured  him  as  a  devoted  and  very  creditable  addition 
to  her  train  of  admirers. 

If  Arthur  had  known  what  a  scrutiny  he  was  under- 
going, he  might  have  felt  some  degree  of  embarrass- 
ment, but  he  continued  his  chat  with  Mrs.  Norbury  in 
easy  unconsciousness,  and  Pilsie,  on  the  door  mat,  grew 
quite  enthusiastic  in  her  observations.  "He  has 
nice  manners,"  she  decided,   '   and  such  a  pleasant 


voice 


!  " 


Mrs.  Norbury  was  making  not  very  original  remarks 
on  the  discomforts  of  railway  traveling,  but  indeed 
there  are  subjects  on  which  it  is  impossible  to  be 
original,  and  Arthur  was  doing  his  best  to  pay  proper 
attention,  when  Elsie  at  last  thought  fit  to  go  into  the 
room.  "  How  do  you  do.  Cousin  Arthur?"  she  said, 
offering  him  her  hand. 

"Very  well,  thank  you.  I  hope  you  are  well. 
Cousin  "  — 

"  Elsie,"  she  filled  in,  seeing  that  he  hesitated. 
"  So  you  have  forgotten  even  my  name  !  That  is  n't 
exactly  com[)limentary." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  ;  but  I  am  afraid  you  will  soon 
discover  that  I  never  am  complimentary,"  said  Arthur, 
smiling.    "  I  have  iiot  the  requisite  talent." 

Elsie  laughed.  "  I  am  glad  you  have  given  me  fair 
warning.     I  must  confess  to  a  weakness  for  pretty 


AMTHUB  LESTEB. 


69 


speeches.  Shall  I  ring  for  the  tea,  mother?  Where 
is  father?  Isn't  he  in  vet?  I  am  sure  he  will  make 
himself  ill  again,  if  he  is  n't  more  careful." 

Mr.  Norbury  came  home  late,  too  tired  and  cross 
to  eat.  Things  had  been  going  wrong  at  the  factory, 
or  rather  he  had  discovered  several  mistakes  that  had 
been  made  in  his  absence,  and  he  had  worn  himself 
out  with  scolding,  first  one  person  and  then  another. 
Every  one  in  the  office,  from  Warrington  to  Charley 
Milwood,  had  come  in  for  his  share  of  censure ;  and 
a  general  sulkiness  pervaded  the  counting-house, 
which  the  master  imprudently  insisted  on  regarding 
as  "deliberate  impertinence." 

Arthur  eyed  his  uncle  rather  gloomily,  for  the 
smoke  of  the  many  conflicts  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged  that  afternoon  still  hung  about  him.  His 
shaggy  eyebrows  were  drawn  together  in  a  frown  that 
naturally  suggested  ill-temper,  and  the  corners  of  his 
set,  determined-looking  mouth  had  a  downward  inclina- 
tion that  by  no  means  modified  that  expression. 

Elsie  made  conversation  for  everybody,  and  the 
meal  came  to  an  end  at  last.  Immediately  afterwards 
Mr.  Norbury  requested  his  nephew's  attendance  in  the 
room  which  his  daughter  dignified  by  the  name  of  the 
study,  and  put  the  young  man  through  much  the  same 
sort  of  examination  as  that  to  which  he  had  sub- 
jected Stanton.     All  the  while  he  kept  his  eyes  fixed 


I 


70 


THE  ItAlNPROOF  INVENTION. 


sternly  on  Arthur's  face,  as  if  he  desired  to  catch  him 
Ml  some  attempt  to  deceive.  In  reality,  however,  that 
was  not  his  motive  so  much  as  a  desire  to  learn  what 
sort  of  man  his  nephew  was.  He  looked  at  the  face 
as  the  index  to  the  character,  and  he  flattered  himself 
that  he  read  men  well.  Mr.  Nor  bury  did  not  par- 
ticularly admire  Arthur's  well-cut  features,  for  they 
brought  too  vividly  to  his  memory  the  thought  of  the 
man  whom  he  would  never  forgive  for  the  wrong  he 
had  done  poor  Bessie ;  yet,  though  the  blue  eyes  that 
Elsie  liked  so  well  had  some  faint  suggestion  of  his 
long  dead  sister,  he  would  willingly  have  forgotten 
her  too,  for  he  felt  that  his  own  conscience  was  not 
clear  of  wrong  ;  moreover,  beauty  was  a  very  second- 
ary consideration  with  him.  This  time  Arthur  was 
fully  aware  of  the  severe  scrutiny  which  he  was 
undergoing,  and  was  disposed  to  resent  it  as  equally 
unkind  and  impolite. 

Mr.  Norbury  was  under  the  delusion  that  he  pre- 
ferred men  with  strong  wills,  and  rightly  or  wrongly 
he  set  his  nephew  down  as  wanting  in  determination 
of  character  and  the  more  solid  qualities  necessary 
for  the  successful  transaction  of  business,  and  he  was 
disappointed  accordingly.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  how- 
ever, it  was  notorious  that  he  did  not  usually  agree 
with  people  who  had  "  wills  of  their  own."  It  was 
his  custom  to  insist  imperiously  on  Unving  his  own  way 


ARTHUR  LEISTER. 


71 


regardless  of  other  people's  preferences ;  and  when, 
as  occasionally  happened,  he  met  his  match  in  dogged 
obstinacy  a  conflict  ensued  more  lively  than  pleasant. 
The  oral  examination  satisfied  the  mannfacturer 
better.  He  was  pleased  to  hear  that  Lester  thoroughly 
understood  the  important  mysteries  of  bookkeeping, 
and  that  his  experience  had  been  of  a  kind  likely  to 
prove  useful  in  his  new  position.  Fortunately  Arthur 
had  the  prudence  to  keep  to  himself  the  history  of 
his  experiences  with  editors,  for  the  knowledge  that  he 
cherished  such  ambitions  would  have  lowered  him  many 
degrees  in  his  uncle's  estimation.  Even  as  it  was, 
his  uncle  warned  him  solemnly  against  fanciful  and 
romantic  notions,  and  ir, pressed  on  him  most  earnestly 
the  necessitv  of  a  thorouj/a  surrender  of  his  time  and 
talents  to  the  interests  of  the  "Rainproof."  He  was 
careful  to  make  no  definite  promises,  but  he  dealt  in 
vague  hints  of  the  grandeur  of  the  position  which  it 
was  la  Arthur's  power  to  attain  by  industry  and  perse- 
verance. To  enforce  the  lesson  he  gave  a  slight 
sketch  of  his  own  history,  in  such  a  self-satisfied  strain 
that  Arthur  hardly  knew  whether  to  be  more  amused  at 
or  ashamed  of  his  self-made  relative.  And  yet,  if  the 
story  had  been  told  by  any  one  else,  he  would  have 
been  the  first  to  acknowledge  that  there  was  something 
heroic  in  the  patience  and  determination  that  had 
triumphed  over  difficulties  so  various  and  formidable. 


72 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


W'nej  the  brsiness  .rrangements  bad  been  talked 
ov^  t  Mr.  Norbury's  gruffness  began  to  wear  off,  and 
for  a  t.l^  1e  while  he  cliatted  really  pleasantly  on  indif- 
ferent subjects.  Arthur  readily  responded  to  his 
change  of  tone,  and  the  impressions  which  each 
received  of  the  other  were  not  so  distinctly  unfavor- 
able as  at  first  they  had  promised  to  be. 

Arthur  came  up  to  Wharton  on  Friday  ;  and  though 
there  was  not  much  to  see  in  the  neighborhood, 
Saturday  was  specially  left  free  by  Mr.  Norbury 
for  his  nephew  "  to  look  about  him."  Accordingly, 
he  was  thinking  of  beginning  his  pilgrimage  soon  after 
breakfast  when  Elsie  came  into  the  room  with  her  hat 
on  and  said :  "  I  have  a  little  shopping  to  do  in  High 
Street,  Arthur.  Should  you  care  to  walk  with  me  and 
take  a  look  at  the  town  ?  I  should  be  glad  of  your 
company,  if  you  would." 

"  Thank  you.     I  should  like  to  come  very  much." 

"I  am'  sorry  to  say,"  said  the  young  lady  as  they 
were  walking  down  the  street,  "that  there  isn't  a 
single  object  of  interest  within  walking  distance, 
though  I  am  grieved,  for  the  honor  of  my  native  town, 
to  be  obliged  to  confess  it." 

"Wharton  must  be  unfortunate  then.  There  is 
something  in  most  places  that  the  inhabitants  are  proud 
of  ;  but  don't  trouble  yourself  on  my  account.  I  shall 
enjoy  the  walk  for  its  own  sake,  I  assure  you." 


AliTIIUli  LESTEE. 


73 


Elsie  laughed.  "  I  aiu  glud  you  are  so  easily 
pleased;  but,  really,  Wharton  is  unfortunate.  It  is 
an  ugly  place  in  the  midst  of  an  ugly  country.  I 
suppose  an  artist  would  n't  find  anythir  worth  paint- 
ing within  ten  miles ;  it  does  not  r/^  se:-  fi  single 
building  old  enough  to  be  interestir-,,  a'lv?  ;t  has  no 
history,  no  legends,  no  ghost  storie^  ^j^ok  As  far  as 
I  can  discyvet ,  nothing  ever  hapi  ened  at  Wharton  ; 
and,  to  add  to  all  these  negatives  ,  .bething  positive, 
it  is  dirty,  it  is  smoky,  and  it  is  noisy,  as  no  doubt 
you  have  already  discovered." 

"Arc  you  not  a  little  hard  on  Wharton?  Your 
three  positive  facts  are  true  of  most  large  towns." 

"  But  it  isn't  a  large  town;  it's  the  dullest  little 
place  on  the  face  of  the  eavth.  You  have  n't  seen  it 
at  its  worst  yet,  or  you  wouldn't  have  a  word  to  say 
for  it.  Wait  till  vou  have  been  through  the  winter 
and  have  tried  Wharton  nuid  and  Wharton  foijs  !  If 
you  can  defend  it  then,  1  '11  never  say  another  word 
against  it." 

"  I  doubt  if  Wharton  fogs  can  be  worse  than  some 
I  've  seen  in  London." 

*'  Oh,  I  know  London  fogs  have  a  bad  reputation  ; 
but  it  seems  to  me  >Vharton  attains  at  times  to  the 
furthest  limits  of  darkness  and  tliiokness.  When  my 
father  met  with  his  accident  it  was  impossible  to  see 
half  a  yard  before  one,  and  he  lost  his  way  between 


74 


THE  TtAlNVnOOF  INVENTION. 


1' 


9 

% 


"A 


the  oflice  ami  the  house,  though  he  known  the  road  so 
well.  It  waa  the  first  serious  illuess  he  ever  hud  in 
his  life." 

"It  must  be  a  great  relief  to  you  that  he  has 
recovered  so  completely." 

"  I  am  rather  afraid  his  recovery  may  scarcely  be 
as  complete  as  it  appears.  The  doctors  say  his  health 
will  not  be  fully  reestablished  for  some  time,  and  any 
excitement  and  anxiety  or  even  overwork  may  lay 
him  up  again." 

"  I  had  no  idea  that  he  had  been  so  ill." 

"Oh,  he  was  very  ill  for  weeks!  He  felt  it 
extremely  on  account  of  the  business ;  its  success 
depends  so  much  (;ii  his  own  peroonul  supervision.  I 
think  he  has  made  a  great  mistake  in  keeping  the 
thing  so  much  in  his  own  hands,  and  indeed  he  sees 
it  now.  I  do  hope  "  she  added  confidentially,  "that 
you  will  stay  with  us.  It  would  be  such  a  comfort  to 
us  all." 

So  saying  Elsie  entered  the  shop  whither  she  was 
bound,  and,  thougli  there  was  no  lack  of  conversation 
going  home,  Arthur  avoided  the  subject  of  the 
factory,  and  Elsie,  with  her  usual  amiability,  followed 
his  lead  and  talked  of  books  and  music. 

Meanwhile  Lester's  coming  had  given  rise  to  much 
discussion  in  the  otlice.  If  there  had  been  any  truth 
in  the  old  saying,  his  ears  would  have  been  burning 


AliTHUJi  LESTER, 


76 


most  uncomfortably  while  he  escorted  his  cousin  on 
licr  wiilk. 

Hob  Littleton  hml  been  called  into  the  private  room 
on  tiie  previous  afternoon,  and  had  been  recpiested  to 
<;o  to  the  station  and  direct  Lester  to  the  house, 
as  Mr.  Norbury  found  it  impossible  to  meet  him  as 
he  had  promised.  Bob  had  executed  his  commission 
with  such  jiood  will  that  he  had  seen  Lester  safelv  on 
the  doorstep  of  his  uncle's  house  before  returning  to 
enliven  his  friends  at  the  ollice  witli  all  kinds  of  con- 
jectures concerning"  the  new  arrival.  The  junior 
clerks,  at  any  rate,  were  looking  out  for  him  eagerly 
on  the  following  morning,  but  Mr.  Norbury  marched 
in  alone,  perhaps  a  little  grimmer  in  aspect  thuu 
usual,  just  ])efore  the  clock  struck  nine. 

"  Perhaps,"  suggested  Johnson,  "  old  Norbury's 
illness  has  done  him  good,  and  he  just  wants  to  be  a 
little  friendly  to  him.  I  dare  say,  after  all,  he  has 
only  come  on  a  visit." 

"It  doesn't  look  like  friendliness;  he's  cross 
enough  to  bite  your  head  off  this  morning  ;  besides, 
J.ester  said  he  had  come  to  stav,"  said  Bob. 

"  What  is  he  going  to  do?" 

"  I  doubt  if  he  knows  ;  and,  at  any  rate,  I  did  n't 
ask  him." 

"Is  he  like  Mr.  Norbury?"  demanded  Charley 
Mil  wood. 


76 


THE  JiAlNVnOOF  INVENTION. 


"Not  a  bit  of  it,  my  son,"  replied  Rob  with  some 
contempt.     "  Wait  till  yoii  see  him." 

As  usnal,  AVanin'^toii  did  not  join  in  the  conver- 
sation, but  in  his  own  mind  ho  felt  aggrieved  at  Mr. 
Norbnry's  having  asked  his  nephew  to  come,  for  he 
regarded  it  as  a  sliglit  upon  those  who  had  been  in  the 
olliee  before,  especially  upon  himself.  The  scraps  of 
conversation  that  drifted  to  iiim  from  the  other  end 
of  the  room  did  not  improve  his  humor.  "I  should 
think,"  he  heaid  Bob  say,  "  he  must  mean  to  train 
him  for  a  kind  of  manager,  so  that  he  can  look  after 
the  thing  when  he  's  ill  or  goes  off  for  a  holiday, 
for  the  doctors  say  he  '11  be  bound  now  to  take  holi- 
days once  in  a  way.  If  that 's  it,  I  don't  envy  the 
fellow." 

"  Neither  do  T, "  chimed  in  Charley.  "  He  '11  have  a 
lively  time  when  old  Norbury  comes  home." 

But  Warrington  did  not  agree  with  them.  If  he 
must  do  ollice  work  at  all,  he  disliked  having  people 
put  over  his  head. 

The  conjectures  of  the  clerks  had  come  very  near 
the  truth.  After  a  short  period  of  probation,  to  test 
his  nephew's  ])ro(itiency  in  the  art  of  bookkeeping, 
Mr.  Norbury,  who  was  thorough  if  he  was  anything, 
required  him  to  take  a  course  of  lessons  in  the  whole 
mystery  of  manufacturing  the  material,  from  its  first 
appearance  in  the  form  of  bales  of  wool  till  it  left  the 


ART  nun   LESTER. 


77 


If   be 
people 


10". 


•SI 


mills  in  the  Hlmpe  of  thick  rolls  of  cloth  or  gjinneiitH 
ready  for  wear. 

To  tell  the  truth,  this  rigorous  course  of  instnu'tion 
was  nlinoHt  more  tlnm  Lester  had  bargained  for,  and 
more  than  once,  when  half  deafened  by  the  roar  of 
the  machinery,  he  wished  himself  back  at  his  (luiet 
desk  in  London,  doing  the  mechanical  work  that  left 
his  thoughts  comparatively  free.  IJut  he  never  gave 
expression  to  his  discontent,  and  his  uncle  watchc<l 
his  progress  with  increasing  though  grim  approval. 
After  a  time  his  dislike  of  the  work  lessened,  and  he 
began  to  take  a  strong  interi'st  both  in  the  noisy 
machinery  and  in  the  hard-working  men  and  girls  wIk^ 
attended  it.  As  for  them,  they  could  scarcely  say 
enough  in  praise  of  Mr.  Lester,  though  they  generally 
brought  their  conmiendation  to  a  climax  by  the  ini- 
complimentary  assertion  that  "  no  one  could  think  he 
corned  o'  the  same  family  as  the  master  "  ! 

The  feelings  of  the  clerks  with  respect  to  him  were 
mingled.  Most  of  them  regarded  him  with  a  friend- 
liness and  pity  for  his  hard  fate,  in  which  miidit  be 
traced  the  merest  touch  of  envy.  Rob  and  .Mr.  >Til- 
wood  were  his  stanchest  friends,  ami  Ralph  War- 
rington was  not  far  from  being  his  enemy.  Th 
reason  was  easy  to  find.  Klsie  Norbury  was 
currently  reported  to  smile  on  Lester. 


^* 


CHAPTER   VII. 


A    LESSON    IN    DKSIGNING. 


i 


i  > 


ARTHUR,"  called  Mr.  Norbiiry  one  m()rniu<r,  three 
-  or  four  weeks  after  his  first  appearance  at  the 
office,  "  come  in  here.  I  want  you  to  look  at  some- 
thing." 

Lester  had  been  busy  amongst  the  dye  and  wab 
adorned  with  a  great  coarse  apron,  but  thinking  his 
uncle  was  alone  in  his  room,  he  went  in  just  as  he 
was.  To  his  surprise  and  confusion  a  young  lady  was 
standing  by  the  table,  on  which  were  several  sheets  of 
paper  that  his  uncle  was  examining  narrowly. 

"Here,  Arthur,"  called  Mr.  Norbury  again,  "  come 
in,  will  you?  Now  show  me,  if  you  can,  what's 
wrong  in  these  designs." 

Arthur  looked  over  his  uncle's  bowed  head,  not  at 
the  designs,  but  at  the  designer,  thinking  that  he  nad 
never  seen  any  one  so  })retty  before.  "  Is  there  any- 
thing Avrong?"  he  falteifd  at  last,  much  confused  at 
the  thought  of  that  hiuwous  a[)ron. 

"  Yes,  yes,  of  course  there  is,"  replied  the  manu- 
facturer testily.  "If  you  hat'  attended  to  what  I 
showed  you  yesterday,  you  would  see  it  at  once.     Look 

78 


"WHAT  IS  WRONG  IN  THESE  DESIGNS?' 


i  !' 


A  LESSON  IN  DESmNINQ, 


79 


here,  who  do  you  suppose  would  wear  a  cloak  with 
such  a  thing  as  that  upon  it?  It  is  no  use,  Miss  War- 
rington, you  must  *  '■  )  keep  before  your  mind  the 
thought  of  how  these  jatterus  are  going  to  come  up 
in  the  weaving." 

Maud's  cheeks  Hushed  a  little,  more  at  her  em- 
ployer's tone  than  his  words ;  and  Arth'r  struck  iu 
nidignnntly,  "1  am  sure,  uncle,  that  pattern  is  very 
pretty:  what  is  the  matter  with  it?" 

"  It  simply  won't  work  out,  that's  all.  This  one  is 
better,"  he  said,  laying  his  hand  on  another  sheet  of 
paper,  "  thougli  I  am  doubtful  how  it  will  look  in  the 
cloth.  Still,  we  may  let  that  pass,  perhaps ;  "  and 
Maud  knew  that  this  was  the  warmest  praise  she  could 
expect  for  her  best  efforts.  She  was  beginning  to 
understand  that  Mr.  Nor])ury  found  fault  on  principle, 
but  Arthur  had  not  yet  discovered  that  fact,  and  he 
felt  much  inclined  to  take  up  the  cudgels  in  defense  of 
the  slighted  designs. 

"What  is  wrong  with  them,  uncle?"  he  persisted. 
"They  are  very  pretty,  I  think." 

"  Shows  then  how  much  you  know  about  it.  How- 
ever, I  suppose  you  've  got  to  learn,  so  I  '11  explain  it 
once  more,  and  then,  perhaps,  Miss  Warrington  will 
l)e  able  to  make  that  design  right." 

Arthur  placed  a  chair  for  Miss  Warrington,  then 
drew  one  up  for  himself ;  and  Mr.  Norbury,  with  one 


80 


THE  EAINrnOOF  INVENTION. 


mi 


m\ 


of  the  young  people  on  each  side  of  him,  entered  into 
a  long  and  careful  explanation  of  the  principles  of 
design  as  applied  to  the  Norbury  Patent  Cloth.  Un- 
fortunately, his  exposition  was  not  as  lucid  as  it  might 
have  been,  because  he  only  half  understood  the  matter 
himself,  having  until  quite  recently  bought  the  designs 
ready  to  be  copied  in  the  cloth.  His  pupils  were 
attentive  and  anxious  to  learn,  though  Maud  suspected 
at  times  that  she  was  being  led  by  a  blind  guide,  and 
that  an  implicit  following  of  the  directions  given  her 
would  only  result  in  disaster.  There  was  no  choice, 
however;  she  was  obliged,  as  she  told  her  mother  a 
little  bitterly,  "  to  do  as  she  was  told  and  to  be 
scolded  for  it  afterwards." 

Hitherto  she  had  not  found  her  work  either  easy  or 
profitable.  Mr.  Norbury 's  illness  liad  prevented  her 
doing  anything  for  several  weeks,  and  now  that  he 
was  well  again,  he  seemed  harder  to  please  than  ever. 
She  was  almost  readv  to  fancv  that  her  troubles  were 
a  "judgment"  on  her  for  her  unwillingness  to  give 
way  to  Rali)h's  wisiies,  but  designing  s^;ill  seemed  to 
offer  the  only  chance  of  paying  for  iier  own  lessons, 
and  she  could  not  make  up  her  mind  to  give  it  up. 

Mr.  Norbury  had  hardly  finished  his  lecture  when  a 
^vjutlemau  came  in  to  see  him,  and  he  hastily  dismissed 
his  pupils.  As  Maud  went  home  she  wondered 
whether  Mr.  Lester  would  prove  to  be  a  rival  to  her- 


A   LESSON  /.V  DESKiNING. 


81 


11 


self,  for  hur  }>rothcr  hardly  ever  talked  of  the  alTairs 
of  the  factory,  and  she  had  heard  almost  notliiiig  about 
j\Ir.  Norhury's  nephew. 

That  evenii):^  at  tea-time  Ralph  told  her  onee  more 
how  much  annoyed  he  had  been  at  her  r,pendhig  the 
morning  in  the  of  lice. 

Maud  let  the  storm  wear  itself  out,  then  asked, 
"  AVho  is  that  Mr.  Lester,  Ralph?  1  tliought  at  first 
he  was  one  of  the  '  hands,'  but  he  looks  and  speaks 
like  a  gentleman." 

*'  lie  is  Mr.  Norbury's  nephew.  That  is  all  1  know 
about  hiia,  Maud." 

"What  does  he  do?" 

"  I  can't  tell  you,  IMaud.  I  do  not  fi>el  any  curiosity 
about  hira,"  replied  Ralph  curtly.  Ri  '  tiiat  was  not 
quite  true.  He  had  given  many  an  kIous  lliought 
to  Lester's  relations  with  IMiss  Nor'      y. 

'*  Did  n't  you  see  him  the  last  tii  you  spent  the 
evening  at  Mr.  Norbury's?"  asked     irs.  Warrington. 

"  Yes,  he  was  in  the  room,  bi      1  hardly  spoke  to 


him." 


Arthur  had  no  idea  of  the  depth  of  Warriiigtou's 
aversion,  and  from  that  day  showci  most  unmistak- 
able signs  of  a  desire  to  be  on  friendly  terms  with 
him.  Ralph  was  blind  and  deaf  i(  'U  his  overtures, 
and  returned  his  efforts  at  civility  with  a  rudeness 
that  Lester  seemed   singularly  unconscious   of.     Bob 


Ill 


82 


THE  TiAiyrnooF  ixventio^. 


t  ; 


Littleton  wondered  loudly  tluit  Arthur  "  could  stanri 
the  fellow's  Insolence  "  ;  but  he  had  not  the  clew  to  tin; 
mystery.  There  were  times  when  Lester  agreed  with 
him,  and  felt  tempted  to  pay  back  Warrington  in  his 
own  coin,  but  the  memory  of  ISIaud's  pretty  face  was 
a  wonderful  help  to  keeping  his  temper.  lie  hud  seen 
her  several  times,  at  church  or  in  the  street,  since  they 
met  in  the  oilice,  but  he  had  never  been  able  to  speak 
to  her. 

He  began  to  think  that  her  brother  must  have 
divined  the  secret  of  his  desire  to  be  friendly,  and 
must  dislike  the  idea  of  his  sister's  making  his  ac- 
qualutance.  He  had  not  been  many  weeks  in  the 
oilice  before  he  had  heard  the  storv  of  Warrington's 
pedigree,  and,  as  a  concession  to  that  young  man's 
overweening  pride  of  birth,  he  allowed  it  to  leak  out, 
through  the  convenient  medium  of  the  loquacious 
Bob,  that  he  liiinself  was  not  without  some  preten- 
sions to  gentility.  He  tried  to  tell  the  story  naturally 
and  carelessly,  but  he  feared  that  it  looked  "  snob- 
bish," and  for  some  days  he  suffered  in  the  estima- 
tion of  his  friend. 

This  little  scheme  did  not  bring  him  one  whit  nearer 
accomplishing  his  end,  though  Littleton  duly  told  and 
exaggerated  the  narrative  of  his  father's  cruel  disin- 
heritan(!e.  l?ali)h  was  still  inexorable,  and  in  despera- 
tion Arthur  resolved  to  do  without  his  help. 


P. 


A  LESSON  IX  DESIGNING. 


1(1  stand 
)W  U)  the 
cod  with 
)n  in  his 
Face  was 
liud  soon 
ince  tluiv 
to  spoak 

I8t  liave 
dly,  and 
;  his  ac- 
i  in  the 
rington's 
ig  man's 
oak  ont, 
quacious 

preton- 
iiaturally 

"  snoh- 
!  ostinia- 

it  nearer 
told  and 
lel  disin- 
despera- 


At  last,  one  day  vvhen  Maud  had  spent  half  the 
afternoon  in  the  oflice,  he  discovered  that  she  had 
left  her  pencils  and  brushes  behind  her,  and  with  this 
somewhat  tlimsy  excuse  he  hurried  otT  after  her.  He 
soon  overtook  h^r,  but  she  looked  so  surprised  that  he 
hardly  knew  what  to  say  for  himself. 

"  Ralph  would  have  brought  them  for  me,"  said 
Maud  with  a  slight  flush  of  color  in  her  pale  cheeks. 

"Yes,  I  know,"  admittei?  Arthur,  "but  I  wanted 
to  bring  them  myself.  Won't  ;  ■ju  give  me  your  par- 
cel? I  have  au  errand  to  do  for  Mr.  Norbury  on 
Clark  Stre°et." 

What  thev  talked  of  on  that  memorable  walk 
Arthur  trietl  in  vain  to  remember  afterwards.  Per- 
haps they  had  not  said  much,  for  Maud  was  shy,  and 
he  himself  was  bewildered,  hut  at  any  rate  he  had 
never  enjoyed  any  conversation  more. 

When,  they  reached  the  gate  of  Briar  Cottage,  Maud 
held  out  her  hand  to  say  ','  Good  by,"  then,  glancing 
u\)  at  her  mother  sewing  in  the  window,  she  changed 
her  mind  and  asked  him  to  come  in.  So  at  the  first 
serious  attack  the  barriers  that  had  seemed  so  impene- 
trable crumbled  into  dust ;  and  before  he  left,  Mrs. 
Warrington  herself  invited  him  to  come  whenever  he 
felt  inclined.     What  did  Ralph's  rudeness  matter  now? 

He  availed  himself  very  often  of  the  privilege  of 
visiting  the  Warringtons  ;  and  for  the  next  few  weeks 


'-f 


84 


TllK   UAINPliOOF  J  WENT  ION, 


I 


II 


'     i 


he  lived  u  LClorified  lift"  of  love  and  hope,  ovcmi  sinionfrst 
the  dust  and  noise  of  the  dnll  ohl  factory.  lie  was 
very  happy  in  those  days  when  he  first  l)e«^an  to  fancy 
that  Maud  brightened  at  his  visits,  and  was  sorry  when 
he  went  away.  Even  Ralph's  evident  dislike  troubled 
him  very  little,  tlioiiiih  he  still  tried  to  conciliate  him. 
Kali)h  was  hardly  ever  at  home  durin<j;  the  evenintjjs, 
and  the  thon«iht  of  his  probable  disapproval  did  not 
cloud  his  pleasure  in  the  present.  When  the  time 
came  he  hoped  that  Maud  would  be  brave  and  true  to 
him,  and  in  the  mean  while  he  was  too  busy  to  trouble 
himself  about  fancied  ills.  He  was  straining  every 
nerve  to  please  his  uncle,  for  pleasing  him  meant  the 
right  to  strive  for  ]Maud  in  earnest. 

And  Mr.  Norbury  was  pleased,  congratulating  him- 
self daily  upon  the  wisdom  of  having  sent  for  him. 

Lester  found  his  uncle's  house  more  homelike  than 
he  had  expectetl.  The  oidy  drawback  was  Elsie's 
perpetual  claiming  of  his*  time  and  attention.  She 
continually  required  him  to  -valk  with  her,  or  pay 
visits,  or  practice  songs  ;  and  though  Arthur  good- 
humoredly  acceded  to  her  wishes,  she  had  an  in- 
stinctive feeling  that  he  was  not  in  a  proper  condition 
of  devotion  to  her.  She  tried  to  pique  him  by  be- 
stowing her  smiles  on  AVarrington  or  Dr.  Thay,  but 
her  cousin  resigned  himself  to  being  set  aside  with 
most  unbecoming  readiness.     She  did  not  know  what 


A    LESSOX  LV  DESKiNINii. 


86 


good- 


to  mako  of  him,  for  she  wan  so  used  to  bi'inf.^  admired, 
in  spite  of  Iicr  want  of  beauty,  that  slie  regarded  it  as 
a  matter  of  conrse  that  Lester  must  admire  her.  She 
began  to  wonder  at  hist  where  he  so  ofteu  spent  his 
evenings,  and  as  she  wished  to  know  she  asked  him 
point-l)hink. 

For  once  Arthur  looked  annoyed,  and  hesitated 
whether  to  answer  her. 

More  for  tlie  sake  of  teasing,  thtm  because  she 
thouglit  so,  Elsie  went  on,  ''  I  do  believe,  Arthur, 
some  young  lady  must  have  captivated  you  !  Who  is 
it?     Do  tell  me.     Where  do  you  go  so  ofteu?" 

If  the  room  had  been  lighter,  she  would  have  seen 
that  Artluir  was  blushing,  but  he  made  an  effort  to 
answer  lightly,  "You  never  tell  me  your  secrets, 
Elsie.     It  is  not  fair  to  ask  for  mine." 

"  I  have  none  to  tell.  If  I  had,  you  should  soon 
hear  them.  I  wish,"  she  added  in  a  rather  graver 
tone,  "  that  you  would  let  me  be  a  sort  of  a  sister 
to  vou.  I  have  always  wanted  a  brother  fo  much. 
Won't  you  be  my  brother?" 

Arthur  laughed.     "  Can  I,  Elsie?"  he  asked. 

"Why  not?  We  are  both  so  lonely."  Her  tone 
was  pathetic  enough  to  touch  a  heart  of  stone,  but 
Arthur  still  laughed. 

"  If  I  can,  then,  1  will  be  your  brother,  though  I 
hardly  know  what  1  am  uudertakiug  in   this   solemn 


80 


Till-:  RAixrnooF  isvention. 


il 


*5 


i 


il 


nn 


ii- 


coinpjict.  Wli:it  »lin'er»Mit'c  will  it  miiko,  Klsic?  It 
ia  only  fair  tliut  you  should  expltiin  tiie  duties  of  my 
new  position." 

But  Filsie  oitlior  wms  or  pretended  to  be  offended. 
''I  nietuit  it  seriouslv,"  she  suid ;  '' whv  will  vou 
turn  it  all  into  nonsense?" 

"I  assure  yon,  Elsie,  I  am  as  gruve  us  u  judge. 
I  will  do  my  very  utmost  to  be  a  most  exemplary 
brother,  if  only  you"  — 

At  that  instant  the  door  opened  and  the  scn'ant 
announeed  Mr.  Stanton. 

"  Is  your  father  at  home,  Miss  Noibury  ?  "  he  asked. 
"If  he  could  spare  the  time,  I  should  like  to  see  him. 
My  business  is  rather  important." 

"  I  am  afraid  he  is  out,  but  we  expect  him  every 
moment.     Won't  you  wait  to  see  him?" 

"  Thank  you.     Perhaps  I  had  better." 

This  was  not  the  first  visit  that  Mr.  Stanton  had 
paid  to  his  employer's  house,  and  Elsie  had  already 
made  his  acquaintance,  but  she  had  never  had  nuich 
chance  to  talk  to  him  before.  On  tlie  whole  she  was 
not  sorry  that  her  cousin  soon  made  iiis  escape  from 
the  room  and  left  her  to  a  long  tHe-h-tMe  with  Mark. 

Mr.  Norbury  did  not  return  till  supper  was  on  the 
table,  and  Stanton's  business  was  delayed  till  after 
the  meal  was  over.  Then  he  retired  with  Mr.  Norbury 
to  bis  study  and  delivered  to  him  a  very  disagreeable 


A  LESSON  IS  DESIilSlNii. 


87 


pioco  of  news.  It  w.as  neither  more  nor  loss  than  that 
!i  rival  (o  the  Hainproof  Cloth  had  appeared  in  the 
market,  that  threatened  to  damage  Mr.  Norhury's 
trade  seriously.  The  new  material  had  all  Iho  advan- 
tages  and  much  the  same  appearance  as  his  fanious 
goods,  hut  was  cheaper. 

''  I  can  hardly  tell  it  from  our  own,  sir,"  said  Stan- 
ton ;  "  but  I  hav(!  brought  you  some  samples  that  1 
managed  to  get  hold  of.  Perhaps  you  may  see  more 
dirt'erence  than  I  do." 

Mr.  Norbury  examined  them  closely  and  then  de- 
clared positively,  *'It  is  an  infringement  of  my  patent; 
and  as  sure  as  my  name  is  James  Norbury,  I'll  have 
the  law  of  them." 

'*  If  something  is  n't  done  our  trade  will  be  ruined," 
said  Stanton.  '•  I  found  that  their  agents  had  been 
l>eforehand  with  me  in  several  places,  and  I  thought 
I  had  l)ettcr  come  back  nnd  report  to  you." 

Mr.  Norbury  solemnly  signified  his  approval,  but 
w;is  so  perturbed  in  mind  that  he  kept  the  young  man 
till  long  after  midnight  answering  his  oft-repeated 
(juestions.  Lester  was  called  into  the  discussion,  and 
Mr.  Norbury  decided  that  if  he  found  that  the  two 
patents  were  as  much  alike  as  Stanton  supposed,  he 
would  at  once  take  steps  to  secure  redress  at  law. 

This,  however,  was  not  so  easily  done.  Upon  con- 
sulting his  lawyer  he  was  assured  that  he  bad  uo  case, 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


// 


1.0 


I.I 


l^|2£    |2.5 

1^  1^    12.2 

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88 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


and  was  advised  not  to  take  the  matter  into  court. 
Not  satisfied  with  this,  he  consulted  other  legal  gentle- 
men, who  were  one  and  all  of  the  opinion  of  the  first,  de- 
claring that  it  would  be  absolutely  impossible  to  prove 
that  his  patent  had  been  infringed  in  any  way.  Thus 
convinced  at  last  of  the  impossibility  of  punishing  the 
offenders,  though  still  persuaded  in  his  own  mind  of 
their  guilt,  Mr.  Norbury  sat  down  under  his  wrongs, 
and  worked  with  might  and  main  to  perfect  his  im- 
proved process  and  to  outwit  his  rivals. 

Lester  did  not  agree  with  his  uncle  in  regarding  the 
other  patentees  as  blamable  in  any  way,  for,  as  he 
labored  most  earnestly  (in  the  interests  of  justice)  to 
prove,  there  were  radical  differences  in  the  two  pro- 
cesses which  p-howed  that  the  ideas  had  been  worked 
out  independently.  The  lawyers  apparently  agreed 
with  him,  but  no  argument  was  forcible  enough  to 
convince  Mr.  Norbury  of  the  correctness  of  thid  con- 
clusion. He  insisted  that  he  had  been  defrauded,  and 
Mark  Stanton  said  the  sarje. 


•4 


chaptp:r  viii. 

"  WORK    AND    WAGES." 

rr^^IIE  winter  was  a  busy  one  for  Lester,  but  it  was 
-L  the  iuii)piest  lie  had  ever  spent  in  his  life,  for 
soon  after  Christmas  Maud  had  promised  to  be  his 
wife,  and  in  another  year  or  two  he  hoped  to  have  a 
home  of  his  own. 

Mr.  Norbury  had  never  entirely  forgiven  him  for 
his  energetic  expression  of  opinion  about  the  patent, 
but  the  cloud  was  so  tiny  that  it  gave  Arthur  no  con- 
cern. In  other  respects  his  uncle  was  well  satisfied, 
and  with  unwonted  generosity  had  already  raised  his 
salary.  Nor  was  this  all ;  latterly  he  had  begun  to 
talk  less  vaguely  of  his  intention  of  giving  him  an 
interest  in  the  business,  and  everybody  expected  that 
the  firm  would  become  Norbury  &  Lester  in  a  few 
months'  time  at  the  latest. 

Arthur  had  been  so  much  occupied  that  his  pen  had 
had  a  long  rest;  but  he  had  still  continued  to  send 
forth  his  old  productions  to  try  their  fortunes  with  one 
editor  after  another  ;  and  to  his  great  astonishment  a 
little  paper  on  "  The  Markets  of  the  Metropolis  "  was 
at  last  accepted  and   paid  for.     This  small   success 

89 


tiii! 


ii:\\ 


1  W 


II      ' 


liili 


90 


TEE  BAINPBOOF  IXVENTIOm 


emboldened  him  to  try  a  new  and  more  ambitious 
article  on  "  Work  and  Wages,"  a  subject  on  which  he 
felt  he  really  had  something  to  say  after  his  winter's 
experience.  He  wrote  earnestly  and  sympathetically, 
trying,  as  Carlvle  sav3,  "  to  speak  out  the  truth  that 
was  in  him  "  ;  but  when  he  read  his  essay  over  he  felt 
self-condemned,  for  he  knew  that  he  had  not  moved 
one  finger  to  right  the  wrongs  to  which  he  could  no 
longer  pretend  to  be  blind.  Half  unconsciously  his 
uncle's  factory  had  been  taken  as  his  model,  but  now 
he  wished  with  all  his  heart  he  had  chosen  some  other 
subject.  Set  down  in  black  and  white  by  his  own 
hand  the  wrong  seemed  all  the  greater,  and  yet  he  knew 
too  well  the  fate  that  overtakes  the  reformer,  and  he 
could  not  risk  all  his  hopes  of  Maud  and  his  future  by 
remonstrating  with  Mr.  Norbury.  If  it  had  only  been 
likely  to  do  any  good,  he  would  have  ventured  it;  as 
it  was  —  Arthur  thrust  the  paper  deep  into  a  drawer, 
careless  that  he  was  crushing  and  crumpling  it,  and 
went  out  to  forget  his  perplexities  in  Maud's  society. 
She  had  lately  begun  to  go  to  a  night  school,  teach- 
ing a  class  of  the  roughest  and  wildest  specimens  of 
young  womanhood  how  to  read  and  write,  and,  after 
sauntering  about  the  streets  till  it  was  time  for  her  to 
come  home,  he  went  to  meet  her.  He  seemed  fated 
that  night  to  give  his  mind  to  the  subject  he  wished 
to  avoid.     Maud  was   standing   at   the   door  of   the 


%1 

KG. 

m 


1 1 


"  WOEK  AND    WAGES.'' 


91 


ambitious 
which  he 
8  winter's 
thetically, 
truth  that 
er  he  felt 
lOt  moved 
could  no 
iously  his 
,  but  now 
Dme  other 
'  his  own 
it  he  knew 
ir,  and  he 
future  by 
only  been 
red  it ;  as 
a  drawer, 
ng  it,  and 
's  society. 
)ol,  teach- 
cimens  of 
and,  after 
for  her  to 
med  fated 
he  wished 
or  of   tlio 


't.J 


mission  room,  where  the  classes  were  held,  talking 
earnestly  to  a  grave-looking,  dark-eyed  young  man, 
who  looked  like  a  clergyman,  though  his  dress  was  not 
excessively  clerical.  He  was  thin  and  about  middle 
height,  and  his  features  were  rather  strongly  marked 
than  good  looking.  His  voice  had  a  strangely  familiar 
sound,  though  Arthur  did  not  remember  having  seen 
him  before. 

"  Mr.  Lester,"  said  Maud,  "  this  is  Mr.  Milwood." 

"I  have  often  heard  my  father  speak  of  you,"  said 
the  clergyman.     "  I  am  glad  to  meet  you  at  last." 

Hugh  Mihvood  was  the  hard-working  curate  of  a 
large  and  very  poor  parish  in  the  lowest  district  of 
Wiiarton;  and,  small  as  the  town  was,  the  destitution 
amongst  some  of  his  parishioners  was  appalling. 

Maud  hardly  waited  to  introduce  her  friend,  but 
went  on  eagerly,  "What  can  I  do,  Mr.  Milwood?  I 
cannot  help  her  much  in  any  way." 

"  I  am  sure  she  will  be  glad  to  see  you,  at  any  rate, 
and  she  is  one  of  vour  own  girls." 

"Well,  I'll  go  and  do  what  I  can.  But  it's 
a  shame  that  such  things  should  be.  Mr.  Milwood 
has  just  heard  that  a  girl  is  starving,  Mr.  Lester,  — 
one  of  Mr.  Norbury's  girls;  oh,  I  wonder  he  can 
sleep  nights  !  " 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Arthur. 

"  She    is   making   ladies'  waterproofs   for   I   don't 


Il      t 


™ 


92 


THE  BAINFROOF  INVENTION. 


|i     '■' 


ill 


know  bow  little,  unci  she  has  been  ill  and  did  n't 
get  them  all  finished  in  time,  so  the  foreman  would  n't 
pay  her  for  any.  Won't  you  speak  about  it?  Mr. 
Norbury  ought  to  know,  if  he  does  n't." 

Arthur  said  nothing,  and  Maud  went  on:  "Come 
with  me  to  see  her,  and  I  'm  sure  you  '11  do  something. 
Good  night,  Mr.  Milwood  !  Shall  I  tell  her  you  will 
be  coming  to  see  her  soon?" 

"Yes;  I'll  be  in  Winchester  Street  to-morrow 
afternoon,  and  1  will  call  then.     Good  night!" 

"  Have  you  told  your  brother  of  our  engagement 
yet,  Maud  ? "  asked  Arthur  as  they  threaded  their 
way  along  the  dirty  street  amongst  the  little  groups 
of  children  playing  marbles  in  the  dust  or  sitting  on 
the  curbstones. 

"No,  Arthur.  I  can't  till  he  gets  to  know  you  a 
little  better.  Mother  knows,  but  Ralph  would  be  so 
angry.  I  should  have  no  peace  from  morning  till 
night.  He  would  try  to  make  me  give  you  up.  I 
think  he  must  be  jealous.  Before  you  came  he  was 
next  to  Mr.  Norbury,  you  know." 

"  You  don't  repent  of  it ;  do  you,  Maud?" 

"  Not  a  bit,  Arthur.  But  Ralph  would  tell  you  that 
you  were  more  to  be  pitied  than  congratulated,  I  have 
such  a  horrid  temper." 

"  No  one  would  believe  it,  Maud,"  said  Arthur, 
laughing.     "  Do  you  know  if  Elsie  said  such  a  thing, 


;!»i 


''wouk  and  wages.' 


93 


i  didn't 
would  n't 
it?    Mr. 

:  "Come 
)mething. 
r  you  will 

o-morrow 
It!" 

gageraent 
[led  their 
le  groups 
jitting  on 

ow  yon  a 
aid  be  so 
rning  till 
»u  up.  I 
le  he  was 


1  you  that 
d,  I  have 

1  Arthur, 
I  a  thing, 


i-V 


I  should  know  that  I  was  expected  to  be  very  com- 
plimentary indeed?  I  always  thought  you  did  n't  care 
for  compliments,  but  if  you  talk  so,  I  "  — 

"  I  have  wanted  to  talk  to  you  about  it  for  a  long 
time,  Arthur,  only  I  could  n't  bring  my  mind  to  it. 
I  mean  exactly  what  I  say.  T  have  a  very  bad  tem- 
per, and  I  only  hope  I  sha'n't  make  you  very  miser- 
able. Kalph  and  I  quarrel  all  the  time,  and  I  dare 
say  it  is  mostly  my  fault "  — 

"  I  dare  say  it  is  n't." 

"Oh,  but  you  don't  know!  I  am  so  selfish  and 
horrid.  You  know  he  wanted  me  dreadfully  to  give 
up  that  designing,  and  I  would  n't,  because  I  wanted 
to  get  lessons  in  painting ;  but  though  it 's  hardly  of 
any  use,  I  don't  see  that  I  can  give  it  up  now,  when 
Mr.  Norbury  has  spent  so  much  time  in  teaching  me. 
I  do  wish  I  had  done  what  Ralph  wanted  at  first. 
He  worries  mother  to  death  with  being  out  all  the 
time,  and  she  says  if  I  had  been  kinder  to  him  she 
thinks  he  might  have  stayed  at  home." 

"  I  am  sure,  Maud,  it  is  not  fair  to  blame  you  like 
that." 

"Oh,  I  don't  kuow,  it  may  be;  and  it  will  break 
mother's  heart  if  Ralph  goes  wrong !  I  seem  bound 
to  confess  my  sins  to-night,"  Maud  added  with  a 
doleful  little  smile;  "but  it  is  such  a  relief  to  liave 
some  one  that  one  is  sure  understands.     I  feel  as  if 


ii 


94 


THE  JiAINrilOOF  INVENTION. 


5  '! 


1 


i 

I 

I 

!!! 


iini 


I  can  say  any  tiling  to  you.  You  have  no  idea  what 
a  difference  it  has  made  to  me." 

"  Have  n't  you  ])een  happy  at  liorae,  Maud?" 

"  Not  very,  Artliur.  fou  see  when  I  was  a  tiny 
chihl  I  found  out  tliat  mother  loved  Ralph  twice  as 
much  as  me,  and  I  could  n't  bear  to  he  always  second 
with  both  of  them.  I  don't  wonder  now  that  mother 
did  n't  find  it  easy  to  love  me  ;  but  oh,  it  was  so  hard  ! 
And  till  you  came  I  loved  mother  belter  than  any  one 
else  on  earth,  in  spite  of  being  cross  and  disagreea])le 
with  her." 

"  Poor  little  Maud  !  who  wt)uld  have  thought  it?  " 

"You  will  Icugii  at  me  to-night,  Arthur;  but  now 
you  can't  say  I  did  n't  give  you  fair  warning." 

"No,  I  never  will,  however  cross  and  disagreeable 
and  unreasonable  you  may  be." 

"  I  did  n't  say  I  had  been  unreasonable,"  said  Maud 
quickly. 

Arthur  laughed  outright  this  time.  "I  beg  your 
pardon;  wasn't  that  the  word  you  used?" 

"  No ;  I  am  quite  sure  I  had  good  reason  to  feel 
vexed  — only  I  suppose —  the  thing  is,  one  ought  to  be 
ready  to  forgive  people,  and  to  be  kind  when  they 
are  not." 

"  Well,  forgive  me  for  the  unfortunate  word  I 
used.  I  thought  I  was  merely  agreeing  with  you  ;  but 
I  have  often  noticed  that  it  is  n't  safe  to  even  agree 


"  WOIiK  AND    WAGEiiV 


96 


idea  what 


as  a  tiny 
twice  as 
^'s  second 
it  mother 
1  so  hard  ! 
1  any  one 
lagreeable 

htit?" 
but  now 


lagreeable 


aid  Maud 

beg  your 

m  to  feel 
Light  to  be 
hen   they 

I  word  I 
you  ;  but 


i^en  agree 


with  any  one  who  is  calling  liiniself  (or  herself) 
names.  People  don't  like  anyone  else  to  do  it;  do 
they,   Maud?  even   when   they   are   confessing    their 


sins. 


"  Perhaps  tiey  don't.  But  you  have  no  idea  how 
often  I  've  made  up  my  mind  that,  come  what  might, 
I  would  be  different ;  and  yet  1  do  believe  I  am  just 
the  same  as  ever.  Ralph  laughs  at  me  sometimes  for 
calling  myself  a  Christian,  and  says  he  does  not  see 
that  I  am  any  different  for  it.  Oh,  Arthur,  won't  you 
try  to  help  me  ?  " 

"If  you  knew  the  sort  of  a  fellow  I  am,  Maud,  I 
doubt  if  you  would  ask  that,"  said  Arthur  grimly. 
"  I  often  think  my  father  would  have  been  pretty  well 
ashamed  of  his  son." 

"Look,"  said  Maud,  after  a  pause,  "isn't  that 
Number  20  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  a  wretched,  miserable  hole  it  is." 

Number  20  was  a  tumble-down  brick  house,  with 
a  narrow  ill-kept  grass  plot  in  front,  swarming  with 
ragged  children.  Maud  picked  her  way  amongst  them 
with  a  disgusted  face,  but  stopped  to  ask  if  they  knew 
where  Jane  Fisher  lived. 

"  Hoo's  at  top  o'  th'  'ouse,"  replied  a  boy  with  such 
a  strong  Lancashire  accent  that  Maud  could  hardly 
understand  him. 

Following  his  directions,  she  made  her  way  up  the 


;kJ 


fir* 
'J 


m 


i  ill 


:   I 

i  ':      I 


'■;( 


96 


77/A^  RAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


rickety  stairs  to  tiie  attic.  Art'uir  vviiited  on  the  little 
landing,  bnt  Maud  went  in.  A  thin,  bent  old  woman 
(or  she  looked  old)  was  sevvin<^  for  dear  life  at  a  heap 
of  stiff  liglit-eolored  ties,  but  Jane  lay  back  on  the  poor 
bed,  too  sick  and  faint  to  set  another  stitch  in  the 
waterproof  that  half  concealed  the  ragged  coverlet. 

"Oh,  what  is  the  matter  with  her?"  cried  Maud, 
horrified  at  the  sight  of  the  girl's  deathlike  face  and 
her  mother's  apparent  indifference. 

' '  Hoo  's  clemmed  —  it 's  now't  else.  Thee  canst  sit 
down  if  thee  likes,  lass." 

"Have  you  nothing  to  eat  in  the  house?"  asked 
Maud. 

"Nay,  neither  bite  nor  sup." 

Maud  stepped  to  the  door,  exclaiming,  ' '  They  are 
starving,  Arthur ;  do  get  them  something  to  eat." 

"  1  don't  like  to  leave  you  here  alone." 

"  I  'm  not  afraid.  Oh,  be  quick !  The  girl  will 
die!" 

Lester  was  not  absent  for  many  minutes,  but  it  was 
a  long  time  before  they  could  bring  poor  Jane  out  of 
her  faint. 

"Hoo '3  always  been  a  weakly  lass,"  explained  her 
mother,  who  at  the  sight  of  the  food  had  thrown  down 
her  sewing  and  was  doing  her  best  to  help  Maud. 
Between  them  they  at  length  succeeded  in  rousing  the 
sick  girl,  and  her  hard-featured,  rugged-looking  mother 


I 


8 


^'WuJifC  AXD    WA(/ES. 


07 


n  the  little 
)lil  woman 
!  at  a  hctip 
)n  the  poor 
itch  in  the 
coverlet, 
■ied  Maud, 
e  face  and 

ie  canst  sit 

se?"  asked 


'They  are 
)  eat." 

le   girl  will 

,  but  it  was 
Tane  out  of 

plained  her 
uovvn  down 
lelp  Maud. 
I'ousing  the 
dng  mother 


■; 


held  her  in  her  arms  and  wept  over  lier,  calling  her  by 
tender  and  emlearing  names.  She  would  let  no  one 
but  herself  feed  her,  though  she  also  was  half  starved. 
Iler  strange  apathy  had  left  her  with  the  dawning  of 
new  hope,  and  she  talked  loudly  and  eagerly  as  she 
drank  the  tea  Arthur  had  managed  in  some  way  to 
procure ;  though  even  as  she  talked  she  took  u^)  her 
work  again  and  sewed  busilv. 

It  was  the  old  storv  of  misfortune  and  gradual 
degradation.  Her  husband  had  been  a  carpenter,  but 
he  had  met  with  an  accident  and  had  been  unable 
to  work  for  months  before  he  died.  Tlieir  savings 
had  gone  in  medicine  and  doctor's  bills,  and  she  and 
Jane  had  had  to  Avork  at  anything  they  could  get, 
neither  being  strong  enough  to  wash  and  scrub.  The 
girl  had  gradually  grown  weaker  from  overwork,  poor 
food,  and  bad  air,  for  they  worked  in  the  same  close, 
little  room  where  thev  and  two  children  lived  dav  and 
night.  A  quick  workwoman  would  have  found  it  dif- 
ficult to  earn  her  daily  bread  at  the  prices  paid  by 
Mr.  Norbury,  and  every  day  Jane  grew  slower,  till  at 
last  she  could  not  rise  from  her  wretched  bed.  Even 
there  she  had  tried  to  go  on  with  her  work,  but  had 
been  t  bliged  to  give  up  the  struggle.  If  it  had  not 
been  lor  her  mother  she  would  have  ])een  glad  to 
die,  and  the  weary,  despairing  look  in  her  great  eyes 
haunted  Maud  for  weeks. 


» I 


:.!^ 
*■ 


i    ! 


98 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


She  had  only  seeu  her  two  or  three  times  before, 
though  her  luiino  wjia  on  hev  chiss  book ;  Jane  was 
usually  either  too  busy  or  too  exhausted  to  attend  tlie 
night  school ;  but  Maud  blamed  herself  that  she  had 
made  no  effort  to  look  after  her  before.  Now  in  Ler 
penitence  she  emptied  the  whole  contents  of  her  purse 
into  the  woman's  hand,  assuring  her  earnestly  that 
she  would  see  her  again  soon  and  try  to  get  help. 
Arthur  added  something,  and  Mrs.  Fislier  followed 
them  to  the  top  of  the  stairs,  calling  down  blessings 
on  them  in  her  strange  Lancashire  tongue. 

*'  You  will  try  to  do  something  for  them,  won't  you, 
Arthur?"  Maud  asked  coaxingly. 

'*I  will,  Maud,  1  promise,"  said  Lester  solemnly, 
feeling  that  he  was  taking  a  vow  that  might  involve 
the  destruction  of  all  his  hopes.  The  longer  he 
thought  about  it  the  more  he  feared  that  his  uncle 
would  resent  his  interference,  but  he  had  promised 
and  could  not  go  back  from  his  word.  "  I  am  afraid 
it  is  a  bad  time  to  speak  of  Uncle  Norbury's  raising 
the  rate  of  payment  for  the  outside  work,"  said  Lester 
after  a  long  pause.  "He  is  struggling  with  all  his 
might  to  undersell  Cox  well  and  Brighton,  and  I  fear 
he  will  be  more  likely  to  try  to  lower  the  wages  than 
to  raise  them.  He  told  me  the  other  day  that  he  had 
never  had  such  small  profits  as  during  these  last  six 
months." 


''WORK  AND    wages:' 


99 


les  before, 
Jane  was 
attend  the 
at  she  had 
fovv  iu  her 
f  her  purse 
ncstly  that 
get  help. 
;r  followed 
u  blesshigs 

won't  you, 

r  solemnly, 
iht  involve 
longer  he 
his  uncle 
promised 
I  am  afraid 
y's  raising 
said  Lester 
tvith  all  his 
and  I  fear 
wages  than 
hat  he  had 
jse  last  six 


si 


"Yet  he  has  made  a  grout  deal  of  money,  hasn't 
he?" 

"A  good  deal,  I  should  fanoy,  hut  he  has  never 
spoken  to  me  about  it.  I  wish  he  could  discover 
something  that  would  make  h's  last  idea  workable, 
ami  then  I  think  ho  might  leave  the  wages  alone." 
''  I  think  it  will  bo  downright  wickedness  if  he  does 
lower  them.  1  am  sure  those  people  would  starve, 
and  Mr.  Milwood  says  there  are  many  others  no  better 
off." 

''  I  suppose  Mr.  Norbury  does  n't  know  how  miser- 
ably poor  they  are." 

"  He  ought  to  know.  Could  n't  you  get  him  to  go 
and  see  those  people,  Arthur?" 

Arthur  shook  his  head.  "  You  don't  know  him, 
Maud.  Besides,  the  mother  is  not  working  for  him. 
I  fear  the  other  firm  pays  no  better." 

''  It  is  wicked  and  wretched,"  said  Maud  energet- 
ically.    "  Will  you  come  in,  Arthur?" 

"  No,  tliank  you,  not  to-night.  I  have  some  work 
to  do." 

But  he  did  little  of  it,  for  Elsie  met  him  at  the  door, 
saying  in  a  complaining  tone,  "Where  have  you  been 
all  the  evening,  Arthur?  I  wanted  you  so  badly  to 
practice  'The  Wolf  for  Tuesday.  You  would  sing 
it  splendidly  if  you  would  only  practice,  but  it  is  u't 
easy  and  you  don't  quite  know  it  yet." 


! 


i  I 


II  i 


■  <Ji 


1 1^1 


ii 

' 

m 
'1:11    i 


100 


THE  BAINPROOF  IXVENTION. 


"Where  is  Aunt  Ellen  ?  " 

"  Would  you  believe  it?  She  and  papa  have  actu- 
ally gone  out  to  supper.  Come  to  the  table  and  I 
will  give  you  some  coffee.  I  would  have  waited  for 
you,  only  Mr.  Stanton  came  in  and  he  was  just  going 
off  by  the  train  again,  so  J  had  to  be  charitable  and 
not  let  him  go  away  starving." 

"Starving,  Elsie  !  I  don't  suppose  he  knows  what 
the  word  means." 

"  You  sound  quite  tragic,  Arthur.  What  have  you 
been  doing?"  laughed  E^sie.  "Mr.  Stanton  snid  he 
caught  a  glimpse  of  you  in  that  dreadful  Winchester 
Street  with  Miss  Warrington.  Is  it  she  you  go  to  see 
so  often,  Arthur?     She  is  very  pretty,  is  n't  she?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Arthur.  "I  —  at  least  —  can  vou 
keep  a  secret,  Elsie  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  can,"  said  the  young  lady  with  dignity. 
"Come,  J  am  waiting;"  and  she  fixed  her  keen  eyes 
on  his  face  w'th  an  expression  that  if  he  had  seen  it 
might  have  made  Lester  decide  to  leave  his  secret 
untold.  He  had  concluded  that  it  might  make  her 
willing  to  leave  him  to  go  his  own  way  in  peace  if  she 
knew  that  Maud  Warrington  had  promised  to  be  his 
wife ;  but  though  he  had  resolved  to  tell  her,  he  found 
it  difficult  to  begin. 

"Arthur,"  she  repeated,  "I  am  waiting.  Is  it 
about  Miss  Warrinjjton  ? " 


♦ 


''WOIiK  AND    WAGES.'' 


101 


ive  actu- 
e  and  I 
aited  for 
St  going 
able  and 

>ws  what 

jave  you 
snid  he 
hicliester 
3o  to  see 
ihe?" 
can   vou 

i  dignity, 
een  eyes 
i  seen  it 
is  secret 
nake  her 
ce  if  she 
to  be  his 
he  found 


g.     Is   it 


"  Yes,  Elsie,  I  have  thought  of  telling  you  before, 
but "  ~ 

"Well?"  she  said  a  little  sharply.  She  was  deter- 
mined not  to  help  him  out. 

"  Well,  the  long  and  the  short  of  it  is,  that  we  have 
been  engaged  since  Christmas." 

Elsie  was  not  very  well  pleased,  though  she  could 
J3a"dly  have  told  why,  as  she  herself  had  no  more  than 
a  friendly  regard  for  Arthur ;  but  with  praiseworthy 
presence  of  mind  she  only  said,  "  1  wonder  I  never 
guessed  it,  Arthur.  She  is  beautiful,  and  you  have 
been  there  so  much,  haven't  you?" 

"  Not  a'  much  as  I  should  have  liked  to  be,"  said 
Arthur  truthfully.  "We  haven't  told  any  one  yet, 
except  Mrs.  Warrington." 

"  Not  even  Ralph?" 

"  No ;  Maud  is  doubtful  whether  he  will  approve, 
and  we  hope  that  he  may  get  to  like  me  better  in 
time." 

"  1  doubt  if  father  will  think  you  have  done  wisely. 
I  should  n't  tell  him  just  yet  if  I  were  you." 

"  No,  I  dare  say  we  had  better  say  nothing.  It  will 
be  a  long  engagement,  I  am  afraid." 

"I  am  sure  you  will  be  happy,  Arthur,"  said  his 
cousin  amiably.  "I  am  glad  you  told  me,  and  I 
promise  to  keep  your  secret  as  —  as  if  it  were  my 
own." 


ii   ■•t 


'  "'in  ' 
iilll  1 


ill! 


CHAPTER   IX. 


ELSIE    IN   MISCHIEF. 


ELSIE  NORBURY  was  an  active  assistant  of  the 
curate  of  St.  Luke's  in  parish  work,  and  an 
indefatigable  visitor  at  the  hospital.  She  was  so 
bright  and  pleasant  that  the  patients  gave  her  the 
warmest  of  welcomes,  and  even  the  nurses  looked 
forward  to  her  coming. 

Her  visiting  day  was  Thursday,  and  it  is  a  curious 
fact  that  on  leaving  the  hospital  at  five  o'clock  she  was 
almost  always  overtaken  by  her  father's  physician, 
Dr.  Thay.  On  the  day  following  the  conversation 
with  Arthur,  recorded  in  the  last  chapter,  she  began 
to  think  that  her  faithful  attendant  had  deserted  her, 
for  she  was  just  turning  into  her  own  street,  before  he 
joined  her,  breathless  with  haste. 

"  You  came  out  earlv  to-dav,  Miss  Norburv  ! "  he 
exclaimed  rather  reproachfully. 

"  Not  five  minutes  before  my  usual  time.  Dr.  Thay  ; 
and  I  am  sure  I  have  walked  slowly." 

"  Then  you  were  not  trying  to  avoid  me?"  said  the 
little  doctor  with  an  air  of  relief. 

Elsie  looked  at  him  with  innocent  surprise.     "  Oh, 

102 


1 

-si 


ELSIE  m  MISCHIEF. 


103 


Lut  of  the 
:,  and  an 
5  was  so 
;  her  the 
38   looked 

a  curious 
k  she  was 
physician, 
iversation 
he  began 
jrted  her, 
before  he 

ury  ! "  he 

)r.  Thay; 

said  the 

J.     "Oh, 


m\ 


no ;  I  think  you  are  the  last  person  I  should  try  to 
avoid,  when  you  have  been  so  good  to  my  father  and 
to  us  all.     I  shall  never  forget  your  kindness." 

He  was  so  pleased  with  this  acknowledgment  of 
her  obligations  that  he  stopped  in  the  street  to  make 
a  low  bow,  and  Elsie  said  wickedly,  though  she  knew 
very  well  that  he  would  walk  with  her  for  hours,  if 
she  would  permit  it:  "Good  by,  doctor!  Am  I  to 
have  your  company  no  farther?  I  thought  you  were 
surely  coming  in  to  dinner  to-day  ;  but  that  is  always 
the  way.  It  is  impossible  to  see  anything  of  you  now- 
adays." 

"I  —  I  had  intended  to  spare  an  hour  or  two,"  he 
answered;  "that  is,  if  you  are  not  having  company. 
A  doctor  must  allow  himself  a  little  rest  and  recre- 
ation." 

"  Yes  ;  I  don't  believe  you  allow  yourself  enough  of 
either ;  you  look  wretchedly  thin  and  pale.  I  know 
you  will  excuse  so  old,  or  at  least  so  true,  a  friend  as 
I  am  saying  it,  even  if  it 's  not  complimentary.  Be- 
sides, 1  never  flatter  people  ;  I  really  can't  do  it." 

"  Miss  Norbury,  if  I  might  beg  you  not  to  walk  so 
fast,  I "  — 

Elsie  immediately  began  to  stroll,  saying,  "  How 
very  inconsiderate  of  me !  I  had  forgotten  how 
dreadful! v  hurried  vou  had  been  all  dav.  Such  a 
practice  as  yours  must  keep  you  always  busy." 


iiii 


^t 


I  I; 


(1 

I 


104 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


"  1  am  fflad  of  it,  Miss  Norburv  ;  it  emboldens  me 
to  say  what  I  should  otherwise  not  have  found  courage 
for.     I  have  been  wanting  to  speak  to  you  for  weeks." 

"  Well,  then,  come  in  to  dinner,  and  you  will  be 
able  to  talk  and  rest  at  the  same  time.  Is  it  about 
that  poor  girl  that  you  wished  to  send  to  the  Con- 
valescent Home  ? " 

Ur.  Thay  did  not  hear  her  question.  "  Shall  you 
be  alone?"  he  asked  anxiously. 

"  Really,  1  cannot  tell,"  said  P^lsie.  "  I  expect  we 
shall.  Arthur  and  I  are  practicing  for  the  concert,  so 
I  told  him  not  to  invite  any  one  to  come  in  this 
evening ;  but  if  you  can  stand  our  mistakes,  we  sha'n't 
mind  having  one  listener,  especially  such  an  excellent 
critic  as  you  are.  Do  come  in,  Dr.  Thay.  I  am  so 
tued,  and  I  hate  standing." 

"  You  should  take  better  care  of  yourself,"  said  the 
doctor  as  he  followed  her  into  the  house. 

"  Oh,  no,  I  shall  be  all  right  directly.  Have  you 
seen  the  Graphic  for  this  week  ?  I  'm  sure  you  will 
excuse  me  for  a  few  minutes." 

"  If  you  could  spare  me  one  minute.  Miss  Norbury, 
—  I  have  a  most  important  question  "  — 

*'  It  has  just  occurred  to  me,"  exclaimed  Elsie  in  a 
tone  of  dismay,  "  that  I  forgot  to  tell  cook  that  papa 
wanted  dinner  half  an  hour  earlier  than  usual."  So 
saying,  she  made  her  escape,  leaving  the  doctor  to 


ELSIE  IN  MISCHIEF. 


105 


oldens  me 
k1  courage 
or  weeks." 
)ii  will  be 
s  it  about 
tlie   Cou- 

Sliall  you 

expect  we 
joncert,  so 
le  in  this 
we  sha'n't 
excellent 
I  am  so 

,"  said  the 

Have  you 
!  you  will 

Noi'bury, 

Blsie  in  a 
that  papa 
ual."  So 
doctor  to 


amuse  himself  as  he  could  until  she  heard  Lester  come 
into  the  house. 

Dr.  Tliay  stayed  us  long  as  his  conscience  would 
permit  him  to  disregard  the  claims  of  his  neglected 
patients,  but  Elsie  never  gave  him  the  opportunity  he 
sought;  and  he  went  away,  vowing  vengeance  on 
Lester,  on  whom  Miss  Norburv  had  bestowed  all  her 
attention,  while  the  little  doctor  sat  gloomy  and 
dejected  in  the  shadow  of  the  piano. 

But  he  was  a  man  of  determination,  and  after  sulk- 
ing over  Elsie's  treatment  of  him  for  three  or  four 
days  he  began  the  siege  anew,  by  sending  her  a  box 
filled  with  lovely  ferns  and  roses. 

Elsie  was  delighted.  "  They  have  just  come  in 
time,  Arthur,  for  the  concert  to-night !  "  she  exclaimed. 
"  I  shall  wear  my  gray  silk  now  with  an  easy  mind, 
for  it  will  set  off  this  lovely  color.  You  will  be  sure 
to  come  home  in  good  time." 

"  I'll  not  be  Ir^e,"  said  Arthur,  wishing  that  Maud 
had  been  going  with  him  instead  of  Elsie.  "  Do  you 
know  who  sent  those  flowers  ? " 

"No,  I  haven't  the  least  idea,  and  I  don't  much 
care.  "Whoever  it  was,  he  has  my  best  thanks,  for  I 
do  like  to  be  well  dressed,  and  these  roses  would  make 
anything  look  handsome.  I  've  been  telling  father 
that  he  ought  to  increase  my  allowance,  for,  now  I  go 
out  so  much,  I  really  need  more  nice  things." 


hiiii 


■■;  ' 


1 

■ 

i 
1 

; 

i 

1 

j 

106 


ri£E  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


Elsie  had  persuaded  ber  father  to  buy  tickets  for 
the  concert  she  had  spoken  of,  and  when  he  presented 
one  to  Arthur  he  could  not  well  refuse"  to  accept  it  and 
to  escort  his  cousin,  though  he  had  proviously  intended 
to  take  Maud.  It  was  an  unusually  good  concert,  for 
two  or  three  famous  singers  were  to  be  present ;  and 
half  the  hall  was  devoted  to  the  happy  possessors  of 
reserved  seat  tickets  at  half  a  guinea  each. 

"  How  do  you  like  ray  roses  now?"  asked  Elsie  as 
she  came  downstairs  with  her  white  opera  cloak  over 
her  arm. 

Lester  looked  critically  at  her  and  said  with  quiet 
approval,  "  You  look  very  well !  " 

Her  gray  silk  and  white  lace  was  too  cold  in  color  to 
suit  her,  but  the  deep  crimson  of  the  roses  gave  her 
dress  the  warmer  tint  it  needed.  She  was  satisfied 
with  her  cousin's  comment,  though  his  words  were  not 
enthusiastic,  and  putting  on  her  cloak  she  said,  "I 
think  the  cab  is  waiting,  Arthur,  and  it  is  getting  late, 
so  perhaps  we  had  better  go." 

As  they  opened  the  door  Dr.  Thay  came  up  the 
steps  and  made  Elsie  one  of  his  exaggerated  bows. 
"Are  you  going  out?"  he  said  in  a  disappointed  tone. 
But  his  face  brightened  as  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  his 
flowers  in  her  hair,  and  he  murmured,  "  I  am  glad  to 
see  that  you  have  honored  my  poor  gift,  as  1  scarcely 
dared  to  hope." 


tickets  for 
!  presented 
cept  it  and 
ly  intended 
oncer t,  for 
esent;  and 
Bsessors  of 

3d  Eilsie  as 
cloak  over 

witii  quiet 

in  color  to 
3  gave  her 
IS  satisfied 
s  were  not 
;  said,  "1 
Btting  late, 

me  up  the 
I  ted  bows, 
in  ted  tone, 
pse  of  his 
mi  glad  to 
1  scarcely 


ELSIE  IN  MISCHIEF. 


107 


"Why,  doctor,  it  would  have  been  waste  not  to 
wear  them,  but,  do  yon  know?  till  this  moment  I  had 
no  idea  whom  I  had  to  thank  for  them.  They  are 
lovely;  I  never  saw  finer  roses,  and  it  was  so  kind  of 
you  to  think  of  it.     I  do  so  love  flowers  !  " 

So  saying  Elsie  passed  on,  leaving  the  little  man  in 
a  state  of  happy  bewilderment.  Rut  he  wished  that 
he  had  written  the  note  he  had  thought  of,  inviting 
her  to  accompany  liim  to  the  concert,  for  now  he  was 
sure  she  would  have  gone  gladly. 

"  What  a  silly  little  man  he  is  ! "  she  said,  laughing 
as  they  drove  off,  leaving  him  gazing  after  them  with 
a  ludicrous  expression  of  mingled  grief  and  pleasure. 
"I  do  wish  he  would  n't  bow  and  scrape  in  that  ridicu- 
lous fashion.  I  always  feel  afraid  that  he  '11  do  some- 
thing to  make  one  look  absurd,  whenever  he  comes 
near.  He  is  as  bad  as  your  great  friend,  Bob  Little- 
ton, Arthur." 

Arthur  did  not  answer,  for  he  was  wonderhig 
whether  Maud  would  hear  of  his  going  with  Elsie  to 
this  great  musi'^al  treat  of  the  season,  and  what  she 
would  think  of  his  leaving  her  at  home.  It  was  too 
late  then  or  he  would  gladly  have  made  the  little  doctor 
happy  by  resigning  Elsie  and  his  ticket  both  to  him. 
Elsie  did  not  seem  to  notice  his  discontent,  but  swept 
up  the  hall  with  about  equal  satisfaction  in  Dr.  Thay's 
flowers  and  her  handsome    cavaliei*.     She    had  sense 


ill  II 


ll;:- 

'ii 

1 

108 


THE  liAINriWOF  INVENTION. 


and  20od  taste  euoujjrh  not  to  talk  while  the  music  was 
going  on,  but  l)ctween  the  pieces  she  whispered  con- 
fidential nothings  to  her  cousin,  contriving  to  claim 
liis  attention  constantly  and  making  him  appear 
absorl)ingly  interested  in  her  lively  chiitter. 

The  music  was  excellent,  though  Arthur  was  not 
able  to  enjoy  it,  for  thinking  of  Maud  alone  at  home. 
But  she  was  not  at  home,  as  he  suddenly  discovered 
to  his  utter  discomfiture.  She  was  ui  the  gallery 
amongst  the  unaristocratic  folk  who  could  not  afford 
to  pay  high  prices  for  their  enjoyment,  and  she  was 
looking  down  on  him  and  Elsie  with  eves  that  even  in 
the  distance  looked  sad  and  angry,  or  he  thought  so. 

His  cousin  found  him  beyond  her  management  after 
that;  talk  he  would  not,  but  sat  in  grim,  unsmiling 
silence,  with  an  air  of  endurance  that  exasperated 
her.  "  For  goodness'  sake,  Arthur,  what  is  the  mat- 
ter?" she  demanded  at  last.     ''Are  you  ill?  " 

"  No,  thank  you,  \  am  all  right.  How  many  pieces 
are  there  still  to  come,  Elsie  ?  " 

"If  you  want  to  go  home,  say  so,  Arthur.  Though 
I  nuist  confess  I  think  you  are  hardly  polite.  Come, 
what  have  I  done  to  offend  yow?"  she  added  in  her 
usual  tones. 

At  that  instant  the  orchestra  began  to  play  a  soft 
prelude  to  a  song,  and  in  the  sudden  silence  that 
ensued  it  was  impossible  to  continue  the  conversation. 


i 


V. 


ELSIE  IN  MISCHIEF. 


109 


music  was 
:)ered  con- 
[  to  claim 
m    appear 

I"  was  not 
at  home. 
lUscovered 
le  gallery 
not  afford 
\  she  was 
it  even  in 
light  so. 
nent  after 
unsmiling 
:asperated 
1  the  mat- 

iny  pieces 

.  Though 
5.  Come, 
ed  in  her 

lay  a  soft 
eiice  that 
versation. 


"Arthur,"  asked  Elsie  at  the  next  break  in  the 
music,  "  do  you  see  Miss  Warrington  up  there  in  the 
guUerv  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Arthur  without  looking  round. 

"  Is  that  why  you  have  been  so  cross?"  continued 
P'.lsie  sweetly.  "  But  if  you  like,  you  may  go  to  her. 
1  dare  say  Mr.  Littleton  will  see  me  home,  if  you 
explain  to  him  how  anxious  you  are  to  escape." 

"  Where  is  Bob?  I  don't  see  him,"  said  Arthur, 
looking  about  him  in  surprise  at  this  suggestion.  But 
he  was  grateful  for  it,  nevertheless. 

"  Ke  is  in  the  gallery  to  the  right,  just  opposite 
to  Miss  Warrington  and  her  friend.  He  has  no  one 
with  him,  so  I  dare  say  he  would  n't  mind  taking  'lare 
of  me." 

Arthur  said  no  more,  but,  after  all,  he  saw  Elsie 
home  himself,  for  it  was  impossible  to  get  at  Bob, 
and  Maud  was  with  Charley  Milwood  and  his  sister, 
\vho  might   not   thank   him    for   joining   their   party. 

"  Good  night,  and  thank  you  for  not  deserting 
me,"  said  Elsie,  adding  mischievously,  "  I  think, 
though,  you  had  better  go  to  see  Miss  Maud  to-mor- 
row, for  I  don't  believe  she  liked  the  concert  any 
better  than  vou  did." 

Arthur  was  a  good  deal  annoyed,  but  he  was  even 
more  angry  with  Elsie  on  the  following  cAcning,  for 
that  afternoon  she  had  taken  it  into  her  head,  out  of 


: 


li  i 


n 


M  ^^^ 


110 


THE  HA  mm  OOF  invention. 


the  mere  spirit  of  miscbief,  to  go  and  explain  mutters 
to  Maud  herself. 

She  was  sitting  in  the  drawing  room  with  a  piece  of 
fancvwork  in  her  htmds,  when  Lester  came  In.  She 
looked  up  as  he  entered,  then  bent  over  her  work, 
saying,  "  I  went  to  see  Miss  Warrington  to-day, 
Arthur,  so  vou  don't  need  to,  unless  vou  like.  I 
thought  as  I  had  got  you  into  the  scrape,  I  ought  in 
common  justice  to  get  you  out  of  it." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Elsie?  " 

"  Why,  any  one  could  see  she  was  vexed  last  night. 
She  never  took  her  eves  off  vou.  1  just  told  her  that 
father  had  bought  the  tickets,  as  he  was  so  anxious 
that  I  should  n't  miss  hearing  Lloyd  and  Patti ;  and 
that  I  had  no  one  to  go  with  but  you,  so  you  had  ])een 
kind  enough  to  take  me.  She  was  very  angry  about 
it,  I  could  see ;  she  could  hardly  speak  civilly  to  me." 

"  Elsie,"  said  Arthur  in  a  low  voice,  "  if  ever  you 
dare  to  meddle  in  my  affairs  again,  I'll  not  have 
anything  more  to  do  with  you." 

Elsie  laughed  and  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  You 
are  both  such  firebrands  !  "  she  said.  "  How  you  will 
get  on  together,  I  don't  know  !  I  'm  sure  I  meant 
well.     I  have  no  wish  to  come  between  you." 

"  I  don't  know  why  you  should  have  such  a  wish, 
but  you  act  as  if  you  might  have,"  said  Arthui 
angrily. 


.■snI 


ELSIE  IN  MISCHIEF, 


111 


1  matters 

piece  of 

in.     She 

icr  work, 

to-djiy, 

like.  I 
ought  iu 


st  night. 

P 

her  thcit 

d 

anxious 

fl 

itti ;  and 

lad  I)cen 

17  about 

to  me." 

ever  you 

lot   have 

"  You 

:- 

you  will 

I   meant 

k 

a  wisli, 
Arthur 


Elsie's  cheeks  flushed  and  she  said:  "Really, 
Arthur,  you  arc  almost  insulting.  What  possible 
intarest  can  it  have  for  me  whom  you  choose  to 
marry?  I  never  thought  you  such  a  coxcomb  before  ; 
but  any  one  would  think  —  you  fancied  —  that  I  — 
well"  — 

"No  one  would  think  anything  of  the  kind, 
Elsie  !  "  exclaimed  Arthur,  alarmed  at  the  suggestion. 
"  Only  you  are  too  fond  of" — 

"  Of  what?"  asked  Elsie  sharply. 

"  1  don't  know  how  to  put  it  —  of  amusing  yourself 
at  other  people's  expense,"  said  Arthur  more  calmly. 
"  You  can't  deny  it,  Elsie.  If  you  really  were  my 
sister,  I  should  feel  bound  to  try  to  prevent  it." 

"  Prevent  what?  "  demanded  Elsie  once  more,  but 
now  she  was  more  anmsed  than  angry.  "  Come, 
Arthur,  do  say  out  what  you  mean.  I  hate  insinua- 
tions, and  you  will  hesitate  and  stammer  so  provok- 
ingly.     What  would  you  like  to  prevent?" 

"  Your  making  a  fool  of  one  fellow  after  another. 
It's  too  bad,  and  you  know  it.  There's  that  fellow 
Stanton,  and  Dr.  Thay,  and  —  well,  half  a  dozen 
ovners,  I  dare  say.  It's  a  shame,  Elsie,  when  you 
know  you  don't  care  a  straw  for  any  one  of  them." 

"  It  seems  to  me,  Arthur,  that  you  are  meddling  in 
my  affairs  just  now,"  said  his  cousin ;  but  her  face 
wore  a  gratified  smile,  for  she  felt  that  Arthur  had 


f 


H  li 


»iil 


112 


THE  IlAIXrilOOF  INVEXriOff. 


paid  licr  a  high  eompliincnt.  "You  tal<e  things  too 
sei'iouslv,  Arthur." 

At  that  iiisttint  the  dinner  boll  sounded,  and  both 
were  glad  of  the  inlerrni)ti()n  to  the  discuHsion. 

LoHter  went  out  iniinediately  after  dinner,  and  P^IhIc, 
feeling  that  a  dull  evening  was  before  her,  tried  to 
entertain  herself  with  a  book.  But  her  face  percepti- 
bly brightened  when  Dr.  Tliay  was  announced,  though 
she  knew  very  well  what  he  had  come  for.  She  did  not 
wish  to  give  him  the  opportunity  he  desired,  however, 
so  she  sent  the  maid  to  ask  her  mother  to  come  down, 
and  in  the  mean  time  she  kept  the  conversation  going 
briskly. 

But  desperation  made  the  little  doctor  master  of 
the  situation  for  once.  Utterly  ignoring  her  questions 
as  to  his  liking  for  music  or  something  equally  impor- 
tant, he  plunged  at  once  into  a  little  speech  that  he 
had  evidently  committed  to  memory.  Elsie  turned  a 
deaf  ear  to  his  entreaties,  telling  him  she  was  sure  he 
Avould  soon  forget  all  al)out  her  and  marry  some  nice 
girl  who  would  make  him  a  far  better  wife  than  she 
would  ;  but  there  was  something  in  her  manner  that 
made  Dr.  Thay  fancy  that  the  battle  was  not  quite 
lost,  and  he  went  away  subdued  but  by  no  means 
despairing. 

Arthur  returned  a  few  minutes  after  he  left.  **  Is 
it  all  right?  has  she  forgiven  you?  "  asked  Elsie. 


KLSnC   l.V  MISCHIEF. 


113 


lings  too 


iiul  both 
liou. 

n'\  P^lsic, 
tried  to 
percepti- 
,  tlioiigh 
B  did  not 
aowever, 
le  down, 
)n  going 

aster  of 
[uestions 
y  impor- 
that  he 
turned  a 
i  sure  he 
3rae  nice 
:han  she 
ner  that 
lot  quite 
)  means 


"  Yes,"  said  Artluiv  cliecrfully  ;  "  she  is  tlie  dearest 
girl  in  the  world.  You  were  (piite  mistaken  in  think- 
ing Hhe  had  minded  the  tiling  in  the  least." 

lie  was  wrong,  however.  Elsie  had  not  l)een  mis- 
taken ;  but  Maud  had  been  so  ashamed  of  her  angry 
reception  of  the  young  lady  in  the  afternoon,  that 
when  Lester  came  to  make  his  peace  she  was  very 
penitent  and  ready  to  forgive  him. 

"Then  mv  interference  had  done  no  great  harm 
after  all,"  said  Elsie.  ''  I  am  glad  it  is  all  right.  I 
don't  ])clieve  we  ever  quarreled  before,  and  it  sha'n't 
be  mv  fault  if  we  do  again." 

Arthur  smiled  and  held  out  his  hand  as  if  the  recon- 
ciliation had  been  with  one  of  his  companions  in  the 
olHce,  but  he  did  not  apologize  for  the  rebuke  he  had 
administered,  for  he  still  thought  that  his  cousin  was 
in  the  wrong. 


't.     *'Is 

ie. 


li 


ii 


'ii 


I 


K 


CHAPTER  X. 


MRS.    NORBURY's    "  AT    HOME." 


A  FTER  his  little  quarrel  with  Elsie  things  went  ex- 
-^-^  ceptionally  smooth  with  Arthur  at  home  ;  but 
so  much  could  not  be  said  for  his  relations  with  his 
uncle  at  the  factory.  He  had  kept  his  promise  to 
Maud,  and  had  protested  with  more  energy  than  pru- 
dence against  the  miserable  wages  paid  to  Jane  Fisher 
and  the  other  women  who  did  work  for  the  mill  at 
home.  The  result  had  been  what  he  expected ;  his 
uncle  had  lost  his  temper  and  had  abused  him  for  his 
interference,  and  there  the  matter  had  ended.  Arthur 
assured  himself  that  he  had  done  all  he  could,  and 
endeavored  for  the  sake  of  his  own  peace  of  mind  to 
shut  his  eyes  to  the  misery  lying  all  around  him. 
Maud,  believing  that  Mr.  Norbury  could  not  be  so 
cruel  ii  he  knew,  persisted  in  begging  Lester  to  use 
his  influence  to  have  the  matter  looked  into ;  but  he 
knew  that  his  uncle  was  sufficiently  exasperated  already, 
and  that  another  step  in  the  same  direction  would 
inevitably  prove  fatal  to  his  connection  with  the  Nor- 
bury Mills.  Yet  he  was  by  no  means  successful  in 
his  endeavors  to  forget  the  wrongs  of  the  oppressed 

114 


I 

I 


1 


MBS.   NOBBUBrS  ''AT  HOME.'' 


115 


work-women,  and  as  a  salve  to  his  conscience  he 
rewrote  his  paper  on  *'  Work  and  Wages,"  stating  the 
case  against  tlieir  employers  with  more  force  than  he 
knew,  and  sent  it  to  the  editor  of  The  Onlooker. 

It  was  now  late  in  September,  but  he  had  heard 
nothing  of  it,  and  would  have  forgotten  it  perhaps 
but  for  his  uncle's  occasional  sarcasms  at  the  expense 
of  his  "  romantic  notions. ' 

About  this  time  Mrs.  Norbury,  instigated  thereto  by 
her  daughter,  decided  to  give  a  musical  "  At  Home." 
It  was  to  be  au  eutertainmeut  of  unusual  magnificence, 
and  Mr.  Norbury  was  scandalized  at  the  large  sum 
Elsie  coolly  demanded  to  expend  on  refreshments ; 
but  though  he  nmrmured  he  did  not  refuse  it,  for  he 
secretly  liked  the  project  very  well. 

Determined  that  she  would  have  a  fashionable  crust, 
Elsie  invited  all  her  acquaintances,  and  was  especially 
gratified  that  among  them  she  could  number  Lady 
McMaster.  It  was  perhaps  as  well  that  she  was  un- 
conscious that  that  lady  (being  a  professed  student  of 
human  nature,  and  a  writer  of  somewhat  flippant 
articles  for  a  certain  minor  paper  to  which  her  title 
had  opened  a  ready  admittance)  came,  as  she  confided 
to  one  or  two  dear  friends,  "  to  see  how  these  upstart 
people  manage  things." 

The  crowd  that  on  the  appointed  night  filled  the 
old-fashioned    rooms    to    overflowing    was    certainly 


116 


THE  llAINriiOOF  INVENTION. 


i;j 


,!  i 


worth  studying,  for  never  was  company  more  mixed 
or  heterogeneous.  The  baronet's  supercilious  lady 
might  be  said  to  represent  one  extreme,  and  Bob 
Littleton  the  other ;  while  the  intermediate  space  was 
filled  in  with  characters  and  differences  of  rank  so 
nicely  shaded  (so  to  speak)  that  they  formed  a  con- 
tinuous gradation  between  them.  The  oddest  thing 
was,  that  Bob,  rather  attracted  by  her  ladyship's 
aristocratic  graces,  and  not  in  the  least  abashed  by 
her  cool  but  evident  assumption  of  superiority,  con- 
trived to  be  introduced  to  her  and  hung  about  her  all 
the  time  she  stayed,  unconsciously  acting  as  show- 
man to  the  wild  beasts  in  the  menagerie.  But  having 
another  engagement  she  departed  before  the  musical 
portion  of  the  "At  Home"  began,  and  it  must  be 
admitted  that  even  Miss  Norbury  breathed  more 
freely  when  she  was  gone. 

Yet  Elsie  played  hostess  to  perfection,  neglecting  and 
overlooking  no  one.  She  kept  Arthur  so  busy,  per- 
haps unintentionally,  that  when  Maud  arrived  with  her 
brother  he  could  not  find  time  to  speak  to  her.  After 
he  had  sung  his  song  he  made  his  way  to  where  Maud 
was  sitting  by  herself,  but  Elsie  almost  immediately 
followed  him,  saying,  "  I  am  sure,  Miss  Warrington, 
you  will  excuse  my  taking  Arthur  away  for  a  few 
minutes.  If  you  would  be  kind  enough,  Arthur"  — 
to  do  something,  or  fetch  something,  or  talk  to  some 


i 

I 

I 


I'ii. 


ON. 


MBS.   NOBBUBY'S  ''AT  HOME:' 


117 


more  mixed 
3ilious  lady 
B,  and  Bob 
;  space  was 
of  rank  so 
rmed  a  con- 
ddest  thing 
ladyship's 
abashed  by 
iority,  con- 
)out  her  all 
I  as  show- 
But  having 
the  musical 
it  must  be 
.thed    more 

fleeting  and 
busy,  per- 
ed  with  her 
ler.  After 
here  Maud 
nmediatcly 
Harrington, 
for  a  few 
Arthur  "  — 
[k  to  some 


I 


one  ;  so  it  was  all  the  evening  !  At  last  he  snatched  a 
few  moments,  but  Maud  was  tired  out  with  tlie  long 
weary  evening  of  noise  and  neglect,  and  she  began  to 
think  Elsie  had  stolen  awry  the  love  that  was  hers  by 
rio-ht.  She  was  not  the  only  one  who  had  observed 
her  knight's  seeming  devotion  to  another  lady. 

The  first  that  spoke  of  it  was  Bob  — poor  Bob! 
little  knowing  the  pain  he  was  giving.  "Do  you 
know,  Miss  Warrington,"  he  said,  "  I  do  believe  that 
Lester  must  be  engaged  to  Miss  Norbury.  Just  watch 
them  now.  I  've  never  seen  her  look  so  well  as  she 
does  to-night." 

Maud  had  been  watching  them. 

"Isn't  Lester  a  handsome  fellow?"  he  went  on 
enthusiastically. 

Maud  assented  wearily. 

"You  know,  I  rather  wonder  that  Mr.  Norbury 
thinks  him  a  grand  enough  match  for  his  daughter," 
continued  Bob,  "  but  I  suppose  he  must.  Perhaps  it 's 
on  account  of  the  business.  Mi*.  Norbury  will  think  a 
great  deal  of  that,  besides  I  dare  say  he  's  grown  fond 
of  Lester  by  this  time.  He  is  a  very  nice  fellow,  and 
Miss  Elsie  might  do  much  worse." 

In  spite  of  herself  Maud  began  to  think  very  badly 
of  Lester.  She  felt  that  her  cheeks  were  flushing 
angrily.  Bob  politely  began  to  fan  her  with  much 
energy,  but  fanniug  did  not  seem  to  cool  her.     She 


118 


THE  BAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


ill, 


liad  been  slighted,  despised,  pla^^ed  with.  It  took 
all  the  self-control  she  possessed  to  listen  to  Bob's 
civilities  and  to  sit  watching  the  pair  that  seemed  to 
interest  every  one. 

Bob  seemed  fated  to  torture  people  that  evening. 
When  he  left  Maud  he  found  her  brother  and  Dr. 
Thay  ensconced  in  a  corner,  and  being  full  of  the  sub- 
ject, he  began,  "Do  you  know  I  am  pretty  sure 
Lester  is  engaged  to  Miss  J^orbury?  I  have  been 
watching  them  all  the  evening."  Ralph  winced,  but 
as  Bob  measured  the  depth  of  his  admiration  for 
Elsie  by  his  own,  he  did  not  think  anything  of  it. 
' '  No  doubt  that 's  why  he  's  to  be  a  partner.  By 
George,  he 's  a  lucky  fellow  !  It  is  just  like  Dick 
"VVhittington  with  variations." 

"Who?  what  do  you  say?  I  beg  your  pardon," 
exclaimed  the  little  doctor,  waking  with  a  start  from 
a  fit  of  abstraction.  "  Were  you  speaking  of  Miss 
Norbui'y  and  that  cousin  of  hers?" 

"  Yes,  have  n't  you  heard  anything  about  it,  doctor? 
You  generally  hear  those  thiiigs  as  soon  as  most 
people,  I  believe  !  " 

"No,  I  haven't  heard.  Dear  me,  it's  very  odd 
altogether !  I  'm  afraid  I  must  not  stay  any  longer ; 
I  have  a  patient  to  visit.  Good  night,  Mr.  Littleton  ; 
good  night,  Mr.  AVarrington  ;  "  and  the  doctor  vanished, 
too  much  perturbed  even  to  say  good  night  to  Elsie  or 


f 


I 


„«-»«-».»^».i  ,.T-^'-WWI»->aiMi!i 


2V. 


MRS.   NOR  HURTS  ''AT  HOME:' 


119 


b.  It  took 
Ju  to  Bob's 
t  seemed  to 

lat  eveninff. 
er  and  Dr. 

of  the  sub- 
pretty   sure 

have  been 
winced,  but 
11  i  ration  for 
liing  of  it. 
artuer.  By 
t  like  Dick 

ir  pardon," 

start  from 

ig  of   Miss 

it,  doctor? 
1    as    most 

very  odd 
iiv  loniier: 

Littleton  ; 
I'  vanished, 
to  Elsie  or 


4 


her  mother.  But,  distressed  as  he  was,  he  could  not 
forbear  talking  of  the  news  he  thought  he  had  heard, 
and  in  no  long  time  the  rumor  of  Lester's  attachment 
to  his  cousin  reached  Maud's  ears,  grieving  her  more 
than  any  of  Elsie's  tortured  admirers  except  Ralph, 
to  whom  the  tale  had  come  back  in  a  form  he  could 
not  recognize  as  the  result  of  Bob's  Ciuelessuess. 

His  temper  became  almost  unbearable  under  the 
strain,  and  if  Lester  would  have  quarreled  with  him, 
he  might  have  done  so  every  day  and  all  day  long. 
He  felt  guilty  about  keeping  his  engagement  with 
Maud  a  secret,  and  for  her  sake  he  endured  Ralph's 
stately  rudeness  with  an  equanimity  that  provoked  the 
cashier  almost  to  frenzy.  He  believed  that  it  was 
owing  to  his  rival's  consciousness  of  power ;  but  a 
note  from  Maud  soon  disturbed  Lester's  calm.  She 
wrote  in  cold,  carefully  chosen  words,  telling  him  that 
their  engagement  had  been  a  mistake  ;  and  that  as  he 
so  evidentlv  wished  to  be  free,  she  was  content  that 
it  should  be  so. 

It  was  Elsie  who  handed  him  the  little  note,  and  she 
watched  his  face  while  he  read  it.  At  first  he  looked 
alarmed,  then  vexed,  and  then  an  air  of  quiet  deter- 
mination settled  on  his  face  as  he  crushed  the  paper 
together  and  put  it  into  his  pocket.  Alas  !  he  had  for- 
gotten the  ring,  and  it  dropped  with  a  little  clink  on 
the  floor  and  rolled  away  out  of  sight. 


■■i  •  1 


rw  I 


120 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


"What  have  voii  lost,  Arthur?"  asked  Elsie  as  he 
stooped  down  to  look  for  it.     "  Shall  I  help  you  ?  " 

"It  does  n't  matter,  thank  you,  Elsie." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  A  ring.     Don't  trouble  yourself  about  it." 

"  It 's  no  trouble.  There  !  "  she  said  triumphantly, 
"  is  that  your  ring? " 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Arthur. 

"  How  pretty  it  is  !  I  suppose  you  don't  mind  my 
looking  at  it." 

Arthur  did  not  object  in  words,  and  Elsie  examined 
it  critically,  saying,  "  I  suppose  it  is  for  Miss  War- 
rington." 

Arthur  hesitated,  then  said  hastily,  "It  was  hers; 
she  has  sent  it  back." 

"Why,  Arthur?" 

"She  seems  to  think  I  shall  know,  but  the  whole 
thing  is  as  dark  as  Egypt  to  me." 

Elsie  was  silent  for  some  seconds.  "I  may  be 
wrong,  but  I  think  I  can  guess,"  she  said  at  last, 
"  only  I  am  sure  you  would  not  like  my  guess." 

"  If  you  have  any  idea,  tell  me  what  it  is,  Elsie," 
said  Arthur,  looking  so  utterly  miserable  that  even 
Miss  Norbury  pitied  him,  and  for  one  moment  was 
inclined  to  spare  him,  but  the  temptation  was  too 
great.  "  My  guess  is  —  but,  Arthur,  I  may  be  wrong, 
you  know  "  — 


•ih;  \ 


Miis.  xoiiiiunrs  ".ir  home:' 


121 


"Yes,  I  know.  Go  ou,  Elsie,  for  pity's  siilvc,  go 
on!" 

"I  think  she  likes  —  I  mean  Mr.  Milwood  likes 
her." 

"  Hugli  Milwood,  the  clergyman?" 

"Yes;  and  she  is  always  going  to  that  dirt}'  mis- 
sion room." 

"  There  is  no  harm  in  that.  She  goes  for  the  sake 
of  her  girls." 

"Well,  if  you  think  so,  it  is  all  right."  Elsie,  with 
all  her  faults,  was  not  generaUy  malicious,  but  she  had 
never  forgiven  Maud  for  the  bitter  words  she  had 
spoken  after  the  concert,  and  she  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  humble  her  if  possible.  Besides,  she 
was  not  saving  what  was  not  true.  She  believed  that 
Mr.  Milwood  did  admire  her,  and  that  belief  salved 
her  conscience.  Arthur's  troubled  face  made  her  un- 
comfortable nevertheless.  "  Poor  Arthur  !  "  she  mur- 
mured, "  I  am  so  sorry,  but  you  will  soon  get  over  it." 

Arthur  made  an  impatient  gesture,  but  deigned  no 
reply. 

"  What  shall  you  do,  Arthur?  " 

"Do  !  notliing^  if  you  are  right ;  but  I  will  see  Maud 
herself.  She  is  bound  to  give  me  some  explanation  ; 
but  if  she  cares  for  that  clergyman  I  '11  not  ask  her  to 
keep  her  word." 

On  the  following  day  Lester  marched  sternly  down 


122 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


^8  SI 


'*    ; 


I  J- 


to  Briar  Cottage  and  asked  for  JNIaud.  She  came 
down  at  once  and  did  not  wait  for  iiim  to  speak.  "  I 
wish  you  had  not  come,  Arthur  ;  it  is  only  painful  for 
both  of  us,  and  nothing  can  alter  my  resolution  !" 

"  I  have  a  right  to  ask,  Maud,  why  you  wish  to 
break  off  our  engagement?  Is  it  that  you  are  tired 
of  it?"    . 

"Yes,  I  am  tired  of  it.  I  am  only  thankful  that  it 
is  not  too  late.  If  I  had  married  you,  I  should  have 
been  wretched  for  life." 

"  Do  vou  m«^an  that  you  have  discovered  that  vou 
prefer  some  one  else?"  demanded  Arthur  in  tones 
that  sounded  hard  and  cold  from  the  effort  he  was 
making  that  thev  should  be  stead  v. 

Maud  thought  of  Elsie,  and  fancied  he  was  delib- 
erately insulting  her  by  trying  to  make  it  appear  that 
the  blame  for  their  quarrel  rested  on  her  shoulders. 
"I  don't  mean  anything  but  this:  that  nothing  on 
earth  would  induce  me  now  to  be  your  wife.  Let  us 
talk  no  more  about  it,  Arthur.  Some  day  perhaps  we 
may  be  friends,  but  I  don't  know  ;  for  the  present  we 
can't  be  even  that." 

"  Very  well,  Maud,  it  must  be  as  you  wish,"  said 
Lester.  "  I  shall  never  trouble  you  again,  and  I  hope 
you  will  "  — 

Maud  did  not  wait  to  hear  the  end  of  his  sentence, 
for   she   was   afraid    that   she  would  show  him    how 


MEJ!^.  NOBBURY'S  ''AT  HOME: 


123 


I 


wretched  she  really  was.  She  left  him  to  find  his  way 
out  of  the  house  by  himself,  and  rushed  upstairs  to  her 
own  room.  Once  in  that  refuge  she  bolted  the  door, 
(lung  herself  on  the  bed,  and  wept  as  if  she  were  very 
miserable  indeed.  Arthur's  visit  had  done  nothing  to 
undeceive  her ;  she  was  still  convinced  that  P^lsie  had 
stolen  his  love  from  her,  and  in  her  first  wild  pain  and 
anger  she  felt  as  if  she  would  give  anything  for 
vengeance.  She  did  not  wish  even  to  try  to  forgive 
her  rival.  She  felt  a  kind  of  pleasure  in  the  bitterness 
of  her  own  hate. 

But  that  mood  passed  and  a  dead  stony  sorrow 
succeeded.  Out  of  the  depths  of  her  despair  she  cried 
for  the  mercy  that  even  at  that  moment  she  would 
have  been  ready  to  deny  to  her  fellow  mortal, 
and  the  thick  darkness  about  her  grew  blacker  and 
deeper.  The  foundations  of  her  faith  seemed  broken 
up,  for  she  could  not  believe  that  God  could  at  once 
love  her  and  let  her  suffer  so ;  but  still  she  cried  to 
heaven,  not  for  forgiveness,  or  greater  light,  or  even 
resignation  to  God's  will,  but  for  the  one  lost  blessing 
of  her  life,  without  which  she  would  not  be  content. 

Meanwhile  Elsie  set  herself  with  all  her  might  to 
charm  and  please  her  cousin,  for  it  piqued  her  that  he 
could  resist  her  so  long.  But  he  was  clad  in  armor  of 
proof,  and  Elsie  found  that  so  far  from  having  gained 
a  lover,  she  had  lost  her  merry  brotherly  companion. 


I'   I' 


i 


124 


THE  BAINPUOOF  INVENTION. 


ill 


I    ii! 


i 
ii 


He  was  quieter  and  graver  than  of  old,  and  no  longer 
cared  to  be  ber  escort  to  parties  and  concerts,  nor  even 
to  practice  witli  her  at  home.  She  could  not  make 
him  bow  down  to  her,  and  she  was  beginning  to 
feel  him  a  kind  of  Mordecai. 

It  was  in  these  days  that  Arthiu'  heard  that  his 
paper  had  been  accepted,  and  not  only  accepted,  but 
read  with  much  interest,  provoking  comments  of  all 
kinds,  some  favorable,  many  the  reverse.  wSoon  an 
answering  article  appeared,  impugning  not  only  Les- 
ter's judgment,  but  his  accuracy  and  sincerity.  Upon 
this  he  again  entered  the  lists,  engaging  perhaps  all 
the  more  eagerly  in  the  fray  because  of  his  disap- 
pointment; and  thus  began  a  contest  "grim  and 
great "  that  raged  dubiously  in  many  of  the  periodicals 
of  the  laud,  and  was  fraught  with  unexpected  conse- 
quences to  the  hero  who  had  first  adventured  himself 
into  the  field. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


HKHIND    A    I<OCKEl>    DOOR. 


I 


■i* 


I  WONDER,"  said  Bob,  "what  can  be  the  matter 
with  Ml'.  Norbnry  this  inoniing?" 

"  Why?     Ho  looks  all  right !  "  said  Charley. 

"  Siiows  all  yon  know.  Look  at  him  now;  he  is 
like  a  ghost.  I  do  believe  he  is  killing  himself  with 
spending  all  his  time  in  that  closet  amongst  his  nasty 
chemicals.  1  don't  believe  he  '11  ever  get  his  precious 
new  process  into  working  order." 

"He  told  me  last  night,"  said  Arthur,  "that  he 
thought  he  had  got  it  at  last." 

"He's  said  that  hundreds  of  times,  but  the  cloth 
spots  or  rots  or  does  something  that  makes  it  useless. 
The  old  '  Rainproof  '  is  worth  ten  times  as  much.  If 
I  were  you,  Arthur,  I  should  advise  him  to  go  home." 

"  Mrs.  Norbury  begged  him  to  stay  away  from  the 
factory  this  morning.  He  is  cougliing  dreadfully,  but 
he  is  determined  to  stick  to  his  work,  if  it  kills  him. 
He  Avould  only  be  angry  if  I  interfered,"  returned 
Arthur ;  but  when  he  saw  Mr.  Norbury  making  his 
way  up  the  long  staircase  he  remonstrated  with  him 
once  more,  for  it  was  plain  that  he  was  really  ill. 

125 


r 


126 


THE  liAINVliOOF  INVENTION, 


hi  ! 


m 

1 

■!       ' 

1 

i   .      I 


il  lii 


,:   f 


11 


'^      3.' 


Mr.  Norbury  only  told  him  .shurply  "  to  get  on  with 
his  work,"  and  went  on  npstairs  to  the  little  dose'  he 
had  had  coustrneted  in  the  third  story.  It  was  not  nuich 
larger  than  a  cupboard,  but  was  ho  strongly  built  tiiat 
Bob  had  nicknamed  it  "  the  jail."  The  narrow  win- 
dow that  lighted  it  was  defended  with  iron  bars,  and 
the  door  had  a  heavy  lock  and  bolts  within.  These 
were  always  drawn  when  Mr.  Norbury  was  at  work, 
and  sometimes  he  took  the  additional  precaution  of 
locking  the  door. 

He  had  been  upstairs  some  hours,  and  the  hands 
were  leaving  the  mill  at  noon,  when  a  gentleman  came 
'n  who  had  an  appointment  with  Mr.  Norbury  and  was 
extremely  anxious  to  sec  him  at  once.  Charley  Mil- 
wood  ran  up  with  his  message,  but  received  no  answer 
and  concluded  that  Mr.  Norburv  must  have  ^onc  home 
after  all.  It  was  Bob's  turn  that  day  to  stay  in  the 
oflice  during  lunch-time.  He  politely  endeavored  to 
entertain  the  stranger  while  he  waited,  and  on  hearing 
Charley's  report  declared  that  he  was  sure  Mr.  Nor- 
bury must  still  be  up  in  the  laboratory,  for  he  had  cer- 
tainly not  seen  libu  come  through  the  ollice. 

Charley  was  disposed  to  argue  the  matter,  but  Bob 
did  not  wait  to  listen.  Begging  the  gentleman  to  wait 
"for  five  minutes"  he  ran  up  himself  and  hammered 
vigorously  on  the  closet  door,  but  there  was  still  no 
answer,  and  he  decided  that  Charley  had  been  right. 


BEHIND  A  LOCKED  DOOR. 


127 


,1  M 


Tlicrt!  was  nothing  to  be  done,  therefore,  but  to  apol- 
ogize to  the  Htranger  and  let  him  go.     Hob  attended 
him  to  the  door,  and  stood  for  a  moment  or  two  watch- 
ing the  men  and  girls  go  out.     He  was  a  favorite  in 
the  mill,  and  often  indulged  in  a  little  ''chaff"  with 
the  "hands."     There  was  oae'^saucy  little  "lass"  in 
the  finishing  room  who  pretended  to  be  a  great   ad- 
mirer of  his  singing,  and  as  she  passed  him  now,  arm 
in  arm  with  another  girl,  she  stayed  to  inquire  when 
he  was  going  to  sing  for  them  in  the  Ilall  again,     liob 
was  gratified,  but  pretended  to  believe  she  was  only 
trying  to  tease  him,  and  a  lively  conversation  ensued, 
though  on  the  one  side  it  was  conducted  in  the  very 
broadest  of  broad  Lancashire,  and  a  stranger  would 
have  been  puzzled  to  understand   the    fun.     Not  so 
Bob,  however  ;  his  only  difficulty  was  to  avoid  mimick-* 
ing  it  in  his  replies,  for  he  could  do  it  perfectly,  but  he 
was  afraid  of  giving  ofifenso.     The  brisk  cross  fire  of 
homely  wit  was  still  going  on,  when  Arthur,  who  had 
been  busy  cill  now,  came  up  to  ask  him  if  he  knew 
whether  his  uncle  had  gone  home. 

Sally  answered  instead :  "  VVhy,  no,  he 's  i' 
th'  finishiii'  room ;  leastways  he 's  been  theer  all 
mornin' !  " 

"Oh,  but  I  've  just  been  up  to  look  for  him,"  ex- 
claimed Bob. 

"How   could   thee   look,   mon?    Th'   door's   been 


I 


128 


THE  BAIXPBOOF  INVENTION. 


'(IM 


:i  . 


1 


'. 


\ 


I'    ■  ! 


! 


t  ;i: 


locked  all  niornin'  au'  him  inside  o'  't.  Aw  tell  thee 
aw  've  heard  him." 

"  Well,  then,  good  morning,  Sally,"  said  Bob,  "If 
you  've  heerd  him,  I  suppose  he  must  be  there."  Then 
he  turned  to  Arthur:  "Could  those  nasty  smelling 
drugs  have  stupefied  him,  do  you  think?" 

"I  don't  think  there  'f,-  any  danger;  but  let  us  go 
up  and  try  the  door." 

"It's  locked  and  bolted,"  said  Bob.  "If  he  is 
inside,  there  is  no  getting  at  him  till  he  is  ready  to 
come  out  himself." 

Lest?r  knocked  with  all  his  might  at  the  door,  and 
Bob  applied  first  his  eye  and  then  his  ear  to  the  key- 
hole. "It's  as  bad  as  the  cellar  adventure.  I  do 
hear  something,  I  think.  You  take  a  turn  at  the  key- 
hole, Arthur." 

"  So  do  I,  but  the  sound  is  very  faint.  What  shall 
we  do?" 

"  I  don't  know  ;  he  '11  be  awfully  angry  if  we  break 
in  this  door  !  " 

"  But  suppose  he  should  have  fainted.  He  may  die 
in  there." 

"  Well,"  said  Bob  heroically,  "  do  what  you  think 
best,  and  I  '11  go  shares  in  the  row.  I  dare  say  we 
shall  survive  it  if  he  does  rage." 

"  Don't  you  think  it  would  make  the  least  upset  if 
we  got  a  cai  pt-uter  to  that  door,  or  some  one  who  under- 
stands locks  ?  " 


k 


3  :;i 


BEHIND  A  LOCKED  DOOR. 


129 


"There  is  a  carpenter  on  Catherine  Street,  just 
around  the  corner.  I  '11  run  for  him  ;  but  how  would 
it  be,  just  to  ease  our  consciences,  to  call  out  to  him 
that  if  he  does  n't  answer  immediately  we  are  going  to 
break  in  the  door." 

"  I  don't  know  that  it  would  do  any  particular  good 
or  Inirni  either,  for  that  matter.  But  do  it,  if  vou 
think  it  well." 

Accordingly  Bob  stooped  down  and  roared  a  kind  of 
proclamation  through  the  keyhole,  informing  the  oc- 
cupant of  "the  jail"  (if  it  had  one)  that  they  in- 
tended to  force  the  door  open  !  Receiving  no  answer, 
Bob  went  for  the  carpenter,  but  the  man  seemed  to 
dislike  the  task  of  breaking  into  the  little  room,  and 
wanted  so  nuich  persuading  that  Arthur  began  to  get 
alarmed  lest  his  uncle  should  die  while  they  were  plan- 
ning his  rescue. 

"  Look  here,  my  good  man,"  he  said  at  last,  "  if 
you  don't  get  to  work  at  once,  1  shall  try  my  hand 
myself.  Mr.  Norbury  may  die  while  you  are  think- 
ing about  it." 

Thus  urged,  the  cnrpenter  made  a  beginning,  but  he 
was  so  slow  and  the  door  was  so  strong  that  Bob 
debated  whether  it  might  not  be  quicker  to  break  a 
hole  through  the  wall.  But  when  the  man  had  suc- 
ceeded in  boririg  one  small  hole  in  the  door  he  worked 
with  more  heart,  for  there  certainly  was  some  one  lying 


i 


I    Hj  ir 


1  i 

Si- 

1!" 

'i 

"i 

,1  ■ 

i  ■'  i 
■ ;     I 

.1 

130 


THE  BAINPEOOF  INVENTION. 


in  the  midst  of  the  bottles  and  papers  on  the  floor. 
The  door  was  so  defended  with  nails  and  bars  of  iron 
that  it  had  to  be  hacked  to  splinters  before  it  was  pos- 
sible to  get  past  it  to  the  help  of  the  sick  man  ;  but 
the  terrible  noise  they  made  did  not  seem  to  rouse  him 
in  the  least. 

When  at  last  there  seemed  a  prospect  of  reaching 
him,  Bob  suggested  that  he  had  better  fetch  the  doctor 
and  a  cab.  Arthur  agreed  and  stayed  himself  to 
superintend  the  carpenter's  operations.  A  few  min- 
utes later  he  was  able  to  force  his  way  through  the 
narrow  and  jagged  aperture  into  the  closet,  and  then 
finding  that  he  could  unfasten  the  remains  of  the  door 
from  within,  he  sent  his  coadjutor  for  some  water, 
with  which  he  bathed  his  uncle's  face  and  hands. 
While  he  was  thus  engaged  the  mill  bell  began  to  ring, 
and  it  occurred  to  him  that  Mr.  Norbury  would  blame 
him  exceedingly  if  he  left  the  closet  open  and  exposed 
to  the  investigations  of  those  who  might  be  curiously 
disposed  amongst  the  work  people.  Accordingly  he 
asked  the  carpenter  to  try  to  mend  the  door  as  quickly 
as  possible,  but  the  man  declared  that  it  was  out  of 
the  question.  "A  new  door,"  he  said,  "  is  the  only 
way  of  mendin'  it." 

"  Well,  then,  could  n't  you  get  some  boards  and 
nail  it  up  securely?  " 

The  man  agreed  that  this  might  be  managed,  and 


BEHIND  A  LOCKED  DOOR. 


131 


went  to  fetch  two  or  three  suitable  boards  from  his 
shop.  While  he  was  gone  Arthur  gathered  up  the 
scattered  papers  from  the  floor,  carefully  wiping  off 
some  acid  that  had  apparently  been  upset  in  Mr. 
Norbury's  fall,  and  seeing  a  small  cabinet  in  one  cor- 
ner of  the  place,  he  tried  to  unlock  it  with  one  of  the 
keys  from  a  bunch  on  the  table.  Just  as  the  work 
people  began  to  come  in  he  succeeded,  and  hastily 
bundled  together  all  the  papers  and  pushed  them  into 
a  little  drawer  already  half  full  of  powders  and  small 
bottles,  for  he  was  only  anxious  to  get  them  safely 
out  of  harm's  way. 

The  exclamations  of  astonishment,  curiously  enough, 
seemed  to  disturb  Mr.  Norbury,  for  he  stirred  at  last 
and  half  opened  his  eyes,  but  Arthur  was  so  much 
engaged  in  preventing  an  invasion  of  the  sanctum 
that  he  did  not  notice  him.  One  and  all  came  to  have 
a  peep  into  the  mysterious  chamber  where  "  the  boss  " 
employed  himself  so  often  ;  and  if  Arthur  had  not 
been  very  resolute,  the  secret  of  the  new  process  would 
have  become  common  property,  as  far  at  least  as  it 
could  have  been  understood  by  mere  scrutiny ;  for 
Mr.  Norbury's  attitude  towards  his  work  people  did  not 
inspire  them  with  any  very  delicate  consideration  for 
his  feelings.  They  regarded  him  as  their  natural 
enemy,  and  he  too  often  spoke  unfi  acted  as  if  he 
reciprocated  the  sentiment,  so  that  the  knowledge  that 


1;,. 

^ii 

i  ;      ■ 

i' 

1 

i 

]32 


THE  BAIN  PROOF  INVENTION. 


their  curiosity  would  annoy  him  was  with  many  a 
strong  reason  for  its  gratification.  As  Arthur  stood 
with  his  back  against  the  mangled  door  he  wished  that 
Bob  would  make  haste,  for  now  the  room  was  crowded 
with  people  from  every  part  of  the  mill,  and  the  good- 
humored  ''chatf"  with  which  they  had  begun  to 
entreat  for  entrance  into  "the  prison"  was  fast 
changing  into  complaint  and  anger. 

It  was  a  sort  of  uncomfortable  parody  of  the  situa- 
tion of  "  the  dauntless  three"  "  who  kept  the  bridge 
so  well "  ;  and  Lester  wished  that  he  too  had  been 
blessed  with  trusty  friends  to  stand  on  his  right  and 
left,  for  every  moment  he  expected  that  some  of  the 
rough  mill  lads  would  try  to  hustle  him  from  his  posi- 
tion by  way  of  amusement.  If  they  had  succeeded, 
Mr.  Norbury,  lying  unconscious  on  the  floor  behind 
him,  would  have  been  in  considerable  danger  of  being 
injured  in  the  rush  that  was  sure  to  ensue  ;  but  fortu- 
nately h(3  was  reinforced  by  the  return  of  Bob  with  the 
doctor  just  when  the  situation  was  beginning  to  look 
serious. 

It  was  not  Dr.  Thay,  but  an  older  man  who  was 
well  known  to  many  in  the  room,  and  his  authoritative 
commands  to  "Stand  back  and  give  the  man  air," 
being  enforced  by  sundry  good-hnmored  pokes  and 
pushes,  were  promptly  obeyed ;  for  his  rough-and- 
ready  geniality  and  his  true   kindness  of   heart  won 


BEHIND  A   LOCKED  DOOR. 


133 


11! 


Dr.  Rowswcll  golden  opinions  among  the  poor.  Mr. 
Norbury  did  not  like  him,  but  Dr.  Thay  having  gone 
out,  Bob  felt  justified  in  bringing  any  doctor 
who  would  come,  without  regard  to  the  patient's  pref- 
erences. 

Dr.  Rows  well  had  a  quick,  energetic  Avay  of  doing 
things  in  spite  of  his  stoutness,  and  in  less  time  than 
it  takes  to  tell  he  had  Mr.  Norburv  Ivino;  on  a  table  in 
the  larger  room,  where  he  employed  himself  in  vigor- 
ous efforts  to  restore  him  to  consciousness  and  equally 
vigorous  anathemas  against  people  "  who  have  n't 
the  sense  to  know  that  a  man  can't  live  without  fresh 
air."  He  addressed  some  severe  rebukes  to  Lester 
for  not  "having  had  the  wit  to  carry  him  out  of  that 
vile-smelling  cupboard  "  ;  but  that  young  man,  having 
satisfied  himself  that  his  relative  was  in  no  immediate 
danger,  was  so  much  occupied  with  the  carpenter  that 
he  did  not  hear  the  strictures  passed  upon  him. 

It  was  of  course  impossible  to  set  the  machines 
going  till  the  patient  had  been  conveyed  downstairs, 
and  the  work  people  buzzed  about  between  the  doctor 
and  the  carpenter  in  a  species  of  distraction,  getting 
impartially  into  the  way  of  both  professional  gentle- 
men. The  door  was  soon  boarded  over  and  Mr. 
Norbury's  secret  was  safe  again  ;  but  the  inventor  was 
still  half  unconscious  when  they  carried  him  down  the 
narrow  stairs  and  into  the  cab.     When  he  had  seen 


■  '  I 


5  ii 

^'1 


134 


THE  BAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


I  !      ! 


him  safely  home,  Dr.  Rowswell  resigned  his  charge  to 
his  regular  physician. 

For  a  day  or  two  Mr.  Norbury  was  delirious  ;  then 
the  same  symptoms  showed  themselves  which  had 
followed  his  accident  in  the  autumn,  and  Dr.  Thay 
rigorously  pursued  the  same  treatment,  declaring  that 
his  illness  had  been  brought  on  by  nothing  but 
overwork. 


Ill 


CHAPTER   XII. 

bob's  unwelcome  guest. 

HALLO,  Warrington  !  have  you  heard  the  latest 
news?"  asked  Bob  a  week  or  two  later. 

"No;  I  have  heard  nothing,"  replied  Ralph  indif- 
ferently.    "How  is  Mr.  Norbury  this  morning?" 

"  Much  the  same  as  yesterday,  and  my  news  is, 
that  he  is  going  to  tear  himself  away  from  his  business 
and  his  invention  and  spend  the  rest  of  the  winter  in  a 
warmer  climate.     It 's  his  only  chance,  they  say." 

"  How  are  things  to  go  on  while  he  is  away?  "  asked 
Charley  Milwood. 

"  I  dare  say  he  wonders  that  himself  ;  but  Lester  is 
going  to  reign  in  his  stead,  so  make  yourself  easy,  my 
son.  I  suppose  it  is  for  this  kind  of  thing  that  old 
Norbury  has  been  training  him.  Did  you  expect  to 
get  a  holiday,  like  a  schoolboy  when  his  master  is  ill, 
Charley?" 

Chnrley  turned  away,  deigning  no  answer. 

"  He  knows  more  about  the  business  now  than  old 
Norbury  himself,"  Bob  continued ;  "at  least,  he 
knows  quite  as  much.  Never  fear,  Charley,  he'll 
keep  us  all  up  to  the  mark." 

135 


136 


THE  liAINriiOOF  INVENTION. 


M 


if 

•1 


Si 


"It's  a  jolly  thing  for  Arlluir,  isn't  it?"  said 
Charley.     "  I  wish  I  was  in  his  shoes." 

"  My  dear  child,"  returned  IJob  provokingiy,  "  they 
would  n't  fit  you.  Nice  boy  you  would  he  for  Mr.  Nor- 
burv  to  leave  to  manage  the  concern  I  I  would  n't  be 
in  Arthur's  place  for  a  good  deal.  He  '11  have  a  lively 
time  when  the  old  gentleman  comes  back,  I  can  tell 
you.  There  '11  be  no  satisfying  hin).  Don't  you 
remember  the  rows  in  the  ofllce  after  he  was  ill  last 
year?" 

"  When  is  he  going?"  asked  Warrington. 

"  At  the  end  of  next  week." 

"  Who  is  going  with  hiui?  " 

"Just  Miss  Norbury." 

''Who  told  you  Ml  this?" 

"  She  did  ;  I  walked  home  with  her  last  night.  She 
was  carrying  a  lot  of  little  parcels  and  asked  me  to 
help  her." 

"  Where  are  they  going?  " 

"  To  the  Mediterranean,  (ireece,  and  Italy,  and  I 
don't  know  where.  JVIiss  Norbury  wants  to  sec  the 
pictures  and  all  the  rest  of  the  shows,  and  Mr. 
Norbury  wants  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  anything  in 
the  shape  of  machinery.  But  won't  he  feel  like  a  fish 
out  of  water  ?  " 

Just  before  closing  time  Mark  Stanton  walked  into 
the   office.     He   had    missed    receiving    some   of    his 


% 


BOB'S    UNWELCOME  QUEST. 


137 


letters,  and  so  had  not  heard  of  Mr.  Norbury's  ill- 
ness. He  had  some  inaportant  business  to  discuss 
with  him. 

"I  suppose  you  will  have  to  see  Lester,"  said 
Warrington  ;  "  but  he  is  n't  in  now,  and  it  'a  so  near 
six  I  don't  think  he'll  come  back  to  night." 

"  Well,  I  '11  call  in  to-morrow,  but  it's  a  nuisance. 
There,  it  is  striking  six  now.  Won't  you  come  and 
(line  with  me  at  '  The  Green  Man,'  Warrington? 
Stafford  and  Thomson  and  one  or  two  other  fellows 


are  connng. 


"  Thank  you !  I  should  like  to  join  you  very 
much." 

"  Do  you  think  Lester  would  come?"  asked  Mark 
after  a  pause. 

"  I  cannot  answer  for  him,"  said  Ralph  stiffly. 
Evidently  he  was  not  anxious  that  Lester  should  be 
of  the  party. 

"  How  do  you  like  him?"  asked  his  companion, 
watching  him  with  some  amusement. 

"  Oh,  he's  a  pleasant  fellow  enough.  Mr.  Norbury 
thinks  very  well  of  him." 

"  So  I  should  suppose,  or  he  would  hardly  have  put 
him  in  the  position  he  has.  Is  it  true  thivt  he  is 
engaged  to  Miss  Norbury  ?  " 

"  I  really  don't  knovr,"  said  Warrington  in  a  tone 
that  suggested  that  for  sone  reason  he  was  nearing 


i  ■■■■ 


Win 

i 

;   {■' 

t  ■  I 


138 


THE  UAINPliOOF  INVENTION. 


the  limits  of  his  patience,  and  Stanton  adroitly  changed 
the  subject. 

The  evening  passed  pleasantly  to  Ralph,  and  he 
afterwards  spoke  warmly  of  Stanton  and  his  friends 
as  "  very  gentlemanly  fellows  "  ;  yet  their  amusements 
were  of  a  character  that  Bob  Littleton,  whom  War- 
rington was  accustomed  to  stigmatize  as  "  insufferably 
vulgar  and  plebeian,"  would  have  been  ashamed  to 
take  part  in.  Their  geutlemanlinoss  c-usisted  largely 
in  the  deference  they  paid  to  their  new  friend,  and  as 
he  was  not  quick  enough  to  see  that  it  was  only 
assumed,  he  talked  more  than  usual  and  was  e^ccep- 
tionally  gracious  and  condescending.  Stanton  had 
previously  told  them  something  of  his  history,  as  he 
had  learned  it  from  Bob,  and  they  were  all  inclined  to 
have  some  fun  at  his  expense.  Their  victim,  nowever, 
was  so  perfectly  unconscious  of  tlie  irony  in  the 
remarkable  courtesy  with  which  they  treated  him  that 
he  enjoyed  it  all  immensely,  unbending  more  and  more 
under  the  iutluence  of  the  good  company  and  good 
wine.  Alas  !  as  time  went  on  he  forgot  his  dignity 
altogether,  and  made  so  much  noise  that  Stanton,  who 
had  a  stronger  head,  began  to  be  ashamed  of  him,  and 
afraid  lest  their  carousal  should  get  them  into  trouble 
with  their  employer.  At  last  he  broke  up  the  festiv- 
ity abruptly,  but  Warrington  had  no  notion  of  going 
home,  and  resolutely  declined  to  move  from  the  posi- 


BOIi'S   UNWELCOME  (fUEST. 


139 


tion  ho  hud  taken  up  agaiii.st  tho  sij^uijost  of  "  The 
(lieen  Man."  Persuasion  was  useless,  and  Mark,  not 
liking  to  leave  him,  and  disliking  still  more  to  quarrel 
with  him,  was  at  his  wits'  end,  when  no  loss  a  person 
than  Bob  Littleton  appeared  in  the  distance,  and  Stan- 
ton, who  did  not  wish  to  be  recognized  at  that  moment, 
hastily  decamped. 

IJob  had  been  si)ending  a  quiet  evening  with  some 
friends,  but  had  not  found  it  in  his  heart  to  tear  him- 
self away  till  nearly  midnight.  He  was  humming  one 
of  his  songs  as  he  came  briskly  down  the  street,  but 
he  stopped  suddenly  and  liegan  to  whistle  when  he 
saw  Kalith.  For  a  moment  he  stood  regarding  him 
with  his  hands  in  his  pocket  and  his  head  a  little  on 
one  side,  an  attitude  which  he  used  with  great  effect 
in  his  songs,  but  which  at  this  moment  he  fell  into 
from  the  force  of  habit,  for  the  situation  was  very  far 
indeed  irom  being  comic.  What  to  do  he  did  not 
know,  for  he  had  had  no  idea  till  that  moment  that 
drink  had  the  least  temptation  for  the  aristocratic 
Warrington.  Indeed,  Ralph  had  not  known  it  him- 
self. 

At  last  he  ordered  a  cab,  and  with  combined  force 
and  persuasion  got  Ralph  into  it,  directing  the  coach- 
man to  drive  to  Briar  Cottage ;  but  as  the  horse 
slowly  jogged  along  he  thought  of  Ralph's  mother  and 
his  pretty  sister,  and  he  was  dismayed  to  be  obliged 


140 


THE  IIAIS PROOF  INVENrWX. 


to  take  him  lioiiio  in  siicli  a  (liH<j;riicoful  condition. 
lie  had  a  mother  and  Histers  of  his  own,  and  Hob's 
qneer  white  waistcoat  covered  a  very  tender  heart. 
The  culprit  lay  in  a  heavy,  stupid  heap  against  the 
cushions,  quiet  enough  now,  but  liob  in  his  discom- 
fort jumped  and  fidgeted  lill  at  last  he  gave  the 
check-string  a  violent  jerk.  ''  Drive  to  '{4  Wagner 
Street,"  he  said  in  tones  of  decision.  Having  thus 
resolved,  he,  too,  sat  (juiet,  for  he  was  revolving  vari- 
ous schemes  for  getting  IJalpii  (jiiietly  upstnirs  to  his 
own  room  ;  but  he  gave  it  up  at  last  and  '•  trusted  to 
luck,"  for,  aa  he  often  stated,  "  his  landlady  was  as 
sharj)  as  a  razor  !  "  Fortune  favored  him,  neverthe- 
less, and  he  managed  to  guide  AVarrington  safely 
upstairs  without  disturbing  the  liouse.  Still  thinking 
of  his  own  mother,  he  penciled  a  little  note,  which  he 
sent  to  Hriar  Cottage  bv  the  cabman,  saving  that 
"  Ralph  had  been  quite  unable  to  get  home,  for  rea- 
sons which  he  would  explain  in  the  morning,  l)ul  that 
he  was  safe  and  well."  He  directed  the  man  to  pull 
the  bell  and  run  away,  but  this  mysterious  proceeding 
so  perplexed  Mrs.  Warrington  tlnit  though  she  went  to 
bed  she  rose  many  times  during  the  short  remainder  of 
the  night  to  look  once  more  at  that  bewildering  scrap 
of  paper. 

Meanwhile   Bob  was   trying   to   rest   in  a  common 
high-backed  chair  aud  was  failing  dismally,  as  might 


BOirS    UNWELCOME   (SUKST. 


141 


coiulifion. 

ler   heart, 
gainst  the 
«  Uiseoiij- 
t'!ive    the 
4    Waj^iier 
Lving  thus 
vliig  vari- 
lii'H  to  his 
trusted  to 
\y  was  as 
ueverthe- 
on    safely 
I  thiiikiiitr 
I  which  he 
ying    that 
^  for  rea- 
,  ))ut  tiiat 
n  to  pull 
I'oceediiijr 
e  went  to 
aiuder  of 
iiig  scrap 

common 
as  might 


!)('  expected.  If  he  had  dared  he  wouhl  have  cheered 
himself  with  a  little  inii,>4ic,  or  gone  out  for  a  walk  to 
escapi!  the  sight  of  that  nightmare  figure  on  the  bed, 
hut  he  was  obliged  to  keep  guard  over  his  unwelcome 
guest.  Kal[)h  scarcely  stirred  all  night  long,  but  soon 
alter  six  liolt  began  to  think  that  he  nuist  wake  him  at 
all  hazards  and  get  him  out  of  the  house  before  his 
landl.idy  went  downstairs.  Accordingly  he  shook  him 
with  hearty  good  will,  for  he  felt  that  he  deserved 
shaking  or  somethin<'  worse,  and  said  his  name  in  a 
loud  whisper  in  his  ears  and  splashed  cold  water  in  his 
face. 

Kalph  at  last  sat  up  and  rubbed  bis  eyes  and 
thought  he  was  dreaming. 

"  It  is  time  to  get  np,  Warrington,"  said  Bob 
severely,  "for  my  landlady  will  be  downstairs  in  no 
time,  and  she  might  make  no  end  of  a  row  if  she 
knew  von  had  been  here." 

"How  did  I  get  here?" 

"  Perhaps  you  may  remember  by  and  by,"  said  Bob 
with  a  disgusied  face.  "  I  sent  a  note  to  your  mother 
saying  that  yon  were  safe  and  well,  and  had  n't  been 
able  to  get  home.  That  was  true,  but  she'll  want  to 
know  more,  so  you  had  better  decide  how  much  to 
tell  her." 

Warrington  made  no  answer,  but  hastily  made  what 
improvements  he  could  in  the  disheveled  condition  of 


U2 


THE  RAIN  Pit  OOF  INVENTION. 


;■■  m 


\h 


his  garments.  "Good  by,  unci  thank  you,  Bob,"  he 
said  at  last,  half  inclined  for  the  first  time  in  his  life 
to  offer  his  Land  to  his  fellow  clerk,  but  afraid  lest  it 
might  be  refused. 

Bob  mistook  the  cause  of  his  hei^^itation,  and  thought 
no  better  of  him  for  it.  "Good  by,  Warrington,"  ae 
said ;  then  thinking  it  his  duty,  under  the  circum- 
stances, to  add  a  word  of  warning  he  went  on  :  "  If  I 
were  you,  I  'd  keep  clear  of  those  fellows  in  future, 
and  perhaps  it  might  'le  a  help  to  you  to  sign  the  pledge. 
I  've  heard  that  many  a  fellow  gets  on  all  the  better 
for  having  made  a  definite  promise  to  keep  off  touch- 
ing the  stuff.     Come  ;  if  you  like,  I  '11  sign  it  too." 

But  Ralph  shook  his  head  in  disdr.in.  The  very 
name  of  pledge  offended  liiiii,  for  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  associate  it  with  what  he  called  '  rant,"  and 
with  rough,  tipsy  men  of  the  lower  orders.  He  had 
yet  to  learn  how  much  was  common  between  himself 
and  the  lowest  specimen  of  humanity.  He  would  not 
even  argue  the  question  with  Bob,  nor  tell  him,  as  he 
might  have  done,  how  bitterly  ashamed  he  was  of  his 
last  night's  amusement;  but  he  thanked  him  again 
almost  with  the  air  of  one  conferring  instead  of 
receiving  a  favor,  and  went  stealthily  down  the  stairs 
and  out  into  the  street. 

He  went  a  long  walk  into  the  country,  anu  break- 
fasted at  a  little  inn  four  miles  out  of  the  town,  but 


BOB'S    UNWELCOME   GUEST. 


148 


lie  (lid  not  enjoy  his  ham  and  eggs,  tliough  air  and  ex- 
I'lcise  were  beginning  to  clear  his  aching  head.  That 
was  a  weary  day  at  the  office,  for  he  felt  as  if  he  were 
a  marked  man,  disgraced  forever  in  the  eyes  of  bis 
inferiors.  When  Stanton  came  in  to  discuss  his  busi- 
ness witli  Arthur  he  looked  as  fresh  and  alert  as  usual. 
As  he  passed  Warrington  going  out  he  stopped  to 
whisper,  "  How  did  you  manage  about  getting  home, 
last  night,  old  fellow  ?  I  came  back  to  look  for  you 
when  Littleton  had  had  time  to  get  out  of  the  way, 
but  you  had  vanished." 

Warrington  preserved  a  gloomy  silence,  and  Mark 
iiiughed  and  passed  on. 

Ralph  would  have  given  anything  to  avoid  having 
to  talk  to  his  mother  that  evening.  All  day  he  wor- 
ried himself  by  trying  to  devise  some  excuse  for  his 
.absence  ;  at  last  he  went  home,  and  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  told  her  a  lie,  and  rather  a  clumsy  one.  He 
saw  that  even  she  did  not  believe  it,  and  when  Maud 
qnestioned  him  he  had  no  refuge  but  to  fall  into  a 
rage,  and  declared  that  he  would  not  submit  to  being 
watched  and  questioned.  But  when  he  had  gained  his 
point  and  silenced  them,  he  tried  to  make  up  for  his 
ill-temper  by  being  specially  kind  and  thoughtful,  and 
for  the  next  few  days  there  fell  on  all  the  household 
the  calm  that  follows  a  storm,  though  in  some  ways  it 
was  more  like  the  dull,  heavy  weather  that  precedes  one. 


Mill  II  .-jfiii 


I  > 


144 


THE  nAINPIiOOF  LVVENTIOK. 


l\    '-i 


I    '■  , 


m  .wi 


He  was  for  a  while  so  ashamed  of  himself  that  he 
did  not  even  go  up  to  see  Elsie  as  usual,  tliough  he 
knew  she  was  so  soon  going  away.  But  as  tiie  sense 
of  his  sin  and  shame  grew  duller,  he  tired  of  his  quiet 
evenings  at  home  and  went  once  more  to  call  upon 
the  Norburys. 

He  liked  to  have  Elsie  to  himself,  and  was  much 
disappointed  to  find  Stanton  therj  and  Dr.  Thay, 
besides  Arthur,  who  was  always  tiiere  and  always  in 
the  way.  Miss  Norbury  scarcelv  noticed  him  when 
he  went  in  ;  she  was  occupied  with  Stanton,  who  was 
talking  in  his  usual  quick  fashion,  while  Dr.  Thay, 
who  was  making  himself  useful  by  holding  the  wool 
she  was  winding,  was  rewarded  occasionally  with  a 
gracious  word  or  smile.  Arthur  was  not  far  away, 
but  was  silent  and  preoccupied,  while  by  the  fire  sat 
Mrs.  Norbury,  knitting  and  rocking  placidly. 

Ralph  took  a  chair  beside  her,  and  Elsie  scarcely 
deigned  him  word  or  look  during  the  whole  evening. 
She  left  him  in  the  distant  place  he  had  chosen,  with- 
out one  effort  to  draw  him  to  her  side.  He  watched 
the  others  and  listened  gloomily  to  Mrs.  Norbury 's 
conversation  and  wished  himself  at  home.  He  was 
angry  with  himself  and  angry  with  Elsie.  She  knew 
that  he  was  waiting  hungrily  for  her  notice,  but  she 
was  enjoying  Stanton's  company,  and  was  not  in  the 
mood  to  trouble  herself  about  Ralph.     The  evening 


BOB'S    UNWELCOME   GUEST. 


145 


lie 


Beenied  very  dreary,  and  ho  left  at  last,  sullen  and 
angry  at  her  almost  insolent  disregard  of  him. 

But  the  next  day  (the  last  before  her  journey)  he 
met  her  in  the  street,  and  nothing  could  have  been 
more  gracious  than  her  manner.  She  made  the  kind- 
est inquiries  after  his  mother's  health,  regretted  that 
she  had  seen  so  little  of  him  the  night  before,  and 
finally  begged  him  to  come  again  that  evening  if  he 
could  possibly  spare  tiie  ti' le.  She  wanted  so  much 
to  see  him  before  she  went  away. 

Ralph  dutifully  accepted  her  present  kindness  and 
both  forgave  and  forgot  her  very  recent  slights.  On 
this  occasion  there  were  no  other  gentlemen  to  distract 
her  attention ;  even  Arthur  was  upstairs  in  his  uncle's 
room,  and  Ralph  enjoyed  himself  siitllciently  to  com- 
pensate him  for  the  misery  he  had  suffered  on  the  pre- 
vious evening.  Elsie  was  very  kind  and  led  him  on 
to  say  more  than  he  had  intended. 

They  were  alone,  for  Mrs.  Norbury  thought  her 
daughter  quite  able  to  take  care  of  herself.  Thus 
there  was  plenty  of  opportunity  for  sentimental 
speeches,  and  Elsie  had  a  keen  enjoyment  of  them. 

Ralph  could  hardly  talk  of  anything  to-night  but  his 
pain  at  her  departure. 

"But  it  will  not  be  for  long,"  was  the  lady's  consol- 
atory  reply.  "  I  could  not  bear  to  leave  dear  Whar- 
ton for  long — and  all  my  friends  here,"  she  added  in 
a  low  voice. 


146 


THE  liAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


1     :,f 


"  It  will  seem  long.     I  —  we  shall  miss  you  terribly." 

"  O  Mr.  Warrington,  I  am  afraid  you  are  trying  to 
flatter  me !  " 

"  Indeed  I  am  not.     You  are  above  flattery."- 

"  I  wish  I  was,"  sighed  Elsie  ;  "  but  I  do  like  to  be 
flattered,  even  when  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it.  I 
wish  my  friends  may  miss  me  half  as  much  as  I  shall 
miss  them." 

' '  You  will  have  so  much  to  see  that  you  will  forget 
us  entirely,  I  am  afraid." 

"  Indeed  I  shall  not,  Mr.  Warrington.  I  never 
forget  a  friend."  Perhaps  it  was  the  look  that  accom- 
panied her  words  that  made  this  vaguely  magnanimous 
statement  at  once  soothing  and  exciting  to  Ralph. 

"  Then  I  may  hope  that  you  will  sometimes  think  of 
me?"  he  said  eagerly. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Elsie.  "lam  thankful  to  say  I 
have  many  friends,  but  among  them  you  are  "  —  She 
stopped  suddenly  with  a  downcast  look. 

Ralph  eagerly  filled  the  blank  with,  "  O  Elsie,  then 
you  can  call  me  more  than  a  friend  ?  " 

"  Friend  means  a  great  deal." 

"  Yes,  but  you  cannot  mistake  me.  Elsie,  I  must 
have  more  than  friendship  from  you." 

"You  shall  have  what  I  can  give.  Friendship  is 
the  most  —  at  present,"  she  added  deliberately. 

"  Then  there  is  hope  for  the  future  !     There  must 


ii; 


BOB'S  UNWELCOME  GUEST. 


147 


be,  Elsie.  I  cannot  live  without  it.  At  least  give  me 
hope."     Ralph  spoke  excitedly. 

"  I  Clin  make  no  promises.  I  dare  promise  nothing. 
You  must  understand  that." 

"  I  understand ;  but  still  you  have  given  me  leave 
to  hope  ?  " 

"We  may  all  hope,"  she  replied  oracularly.  "I 
give  you  nothing." 

"  Yes,  you  have  given  me  something.  I  can  wait 
now.     The  end  will  come  in  time." 

Wtirrington  looked  so  earnest  and  so  handsome  that 
Elsie  felt  proud  of  his  admiration,  yet  he  must  not 
misunderstand  her.  "  Remember,"  she  repeated,  "  I 
made  no  promises.     We  cannot  settle  for  the  future." 

"I  do  not  ask  for  promises  yet,  Elsie.  I  will  trust 
all  to  the  future  £iud  to  you." 

A  little  later  he  took  his  leave,  saying  earnestly,  "  1 
shall  never  forget  this  evening  while  I  live.  Good 
night,  Miss  Norbury  !  good  night  —  Elsie!" 

And  she  said,  "Good  night,  my  friend  Ralph," 
with  what  she  meant  for  a  warning  emphasis.  It  had 
little  effect  on  him,  however ;  he  felt  for  the  time  as  if 
Elsie  were  won,  and  during  the  weeks  she  was  away 
he  lived  on  the  thought  that  she  was  his  in  all  but 
words.  He  had  never  before  had  so  good  a  right  to 
hope. 


1 

r 

i 

I 

;, 

'i 

! 
'1 

I; 
f  ii 


m\ 


i 


'Si 
■I 

!    . 


|<f  i>;! 


pl^ 

II 

4  ■'  ■  i:    > 

;;'.:     ' '"     ^j 

OHAFrER   XIII. 


THE    W.    I.    I.    A. 


BOB,"  said  Arthur,  one  evening  about  a  month 
after  Mr.  Norbury's  departure,  "could  you 
come  up  to  see  me  to-night  or  to-morrow  ?  1  have  a 
great  scheme  I  shoukl  bke  to  discuss  with  vou." 

Bob  was  rather  astonisiied  at  this  request,  as  Lester 
in  these  days  seemed  to  care  little  for  society  or 
amusement  of  any  kind.  Many  of  iiis  friends  c(m- 
eluded  that  he  was  grievously  atllicted  by  the  absence 
of  Miss  Norbury,  but  the  better  informed  reader 
knows  that  that  pained  him  very  little.  One  reason 
for  his  depression  was  his  disappointment  with  regard 
to  Maud ;  but  he  was  also  overburdened  with  the 
heavy  responsibilities  of  his  present  position,  more 
especially  as  his  uncle  had  given  him  so  many  direc- 
tions and  commands  that  he  was  not  at  liberty  to  use 
his  own  judgment  at  all.  Among  his  other  duties 
the  full  report  that  he  was  obliged  to  despatch  to  Mr. 
Norbury  every  week  was  a  tedious  and  distasteful  task, 
while  that  of  reading  the  ungracious  comments  and 
criticisms  upon  his  best  efforts  was  more  annoying 
still. 

148 


THE   W.   I.   L   A. 


149 


He  had  no  ono  with  whom  he  could  consult  in  any 
emergency  but  Mr.  Mllwood,  who  was  too  timid  and 
afraid  of  makinu;  mistakes  to  he  a  good  counselor  ;  for 
Warrington,  whose  experience  might  have  helped  him, 
was  as  unaccommodating  and  (in  i)lain  language)  as 
disagreeable  as  it  was  possihle  for  man  to  be  while 
preserving  the  semblance  of  politeness.  Left  in 
charge,  as  he  was,  Lester  was  at  times  obliged  to  make 
suiTsrestions  to  him  about  the  work  or  his  manner  of 
doins  it,  but  such  sugsjestions  were  always  received  as 
a  bitter  affront,  and  the  cashier  was  a  thorn  in  the 
manager's  side. 

Another  matter  that  caused   him   extreme   anxiety 
was  the  painful  question  of  the  outside  wage-earners. 
Even  the  hands  actually  employed  in   the    mill    were 
badly  off,  and  as  the  winter  advanced  he  knew  that  the 
distress  among  the  work-women  was  increasing  fright- 
fully.    Now  that  the  management  was   to   a   certain 
extent  in  his  own  hands,  he  felt  oppressed  with  a  terri- 
ble personal  responsibility  for  these  starvation  wages, 
yet  he  was  helpless.     He  wrote  to  his  uncle,  setting 
forth  once  more  the  suffering  which  his  work  j)eople 
wore  undergoing,  but  he  would  do  nothing.     "  They 
liad  now  as  much  as  they  had  ever  had,"  he  said,  "  but 
there  was  no  contenting  them." 

A  large  portion  of  his  own  salary  found  its  way  to 
them  in  the  shape  of  gifts  of  coal  and  clothing,  often 


160 


THE  RAINPliOOF  INVENTION. 


^k 


I   I  \ 


through  the  medium  of  Hugh  Milwood,  iu  whose 
parish  most  of  them  lived  ;  but  do  what  he  miglit  to 
aid  them  he  felt  that  it  was  unjust  that  their  own  long 
hours  of  labor  should  not  raise  tiicm  al)ove  the  need  of 
charity.  It  was  a  terrible  wrong  that  when  thev  were 
both  able  and  willing  to  work,  when  they  even  actually 
accomplished  so  much  work,  they  should  be  ol)liged  to 
live  in  such  abject  misery.  As  the  sense  of  the  op- 
pression by  which  his  uncle  had  helped  himself  up  the 
steep  roatl  to  wealth  grew  stronger  on  him,  Lester 
scarcely  dared  to  look  the  poor,  miserable,  ill-elad 
victims  iu  the  fare ;  he  was  as  ashamed  before  them 
of  his  comfortable,  whole  garments  as  many  a  man  is 
of  his  rags. 

The  winter  set  in  early  and  fiercely  tiiat  year. 
"The  skating  was  grand!"  but  Lester  was  haunted 
with  thoughts  of  empty  grates,  shoes  with  holes  in 
them,  and  tables  better  furnislied  with  guests  than 
with  food  to  set  before  u'ein.  To  make  matters  worse, 
trade  was  bad.  In  many  branches  of  business  the 
market  was  overstocked,  and  tho  nuisters,  in  the 
dreariest  w'ntti  weather,  were  forced  to  close  their 
doors ;  vet  the  taverns  had  never  driven  a  brisker 
trade.  Wherever  the  money  ean-.e  from,  too  often  it 
was  spent  iu  beer  and  gin,  while  the  wives  and  babies 
cried  for  food  at  home. 

Arthur  by  no  means  forgot  Maud  ;  i  o   had   never 


THE   W.   I.   I.  A. 


151 


whose 
M  to 

loiltr 


loved  her  better  thau  now,  but  bis  first  despair  and 
dismay  bad  passed,  and  be  could  tbink  now  of  otber 
people's  sorrows  besides  bis  own.  lie  began  to  feel 
like  a  soldier  ordered  on  a  forlorn  bope,  and  was  balf 
tbankful  tbat  tbe  blndering  thougbt  of  bis  own  private 
bappiness  bad  been  taken  awi-y.  He  bardly  knew  as 
yet  bow  to  set  about  belping  in  tbe  deatb  struggle 
against  tbe  wrong  of  wbicb  be  bad  a  clearer  conscious- 
ness every  bour ;  but  be  was  resolved  tbat,  God 
strcngtbening  bini,  be  would  use  every  power  be  pos- 
sessed in  tbe  contest,  wben  be  sbould  see  tbe  way. 
And  in  tbe  mean  time  be  tried  in  little  ways  to  soften 
tbe  bard  lot  of  tbe  few  witb  wbom  he  came  in  con- 
tact. 

He  went  often  to  tbe  mission  ball  where  he  had 
gone  to  meet  Maud,  for  Hugh  Milwood  was  both 
earnest  and  practical,  and  tliougb  be  never  forgot  tbat 
bis  highest  call  was  to  bring  tbe  souls  of  men  into  tbe 
llgiit,  be  remembered  tbat  bis  Master  bad  fed  tbe 
hungry  and  healed  the  suffering,  and,  witb  all  his 
migiit,  he  endeavored  to  go  and  do  likewise.  At  first 
Arthur  had  avoided  him,  because  of  P^^lsie's  guess 
about  Maud's  feeling  for  him,  but  wben  circumstances 
threw  them  tt)gether,  Lester  could  not  resist  the 
attraction  of  his  simple  earnestness,  and  tiiey  soon  fell 
into  tbe  habit  of  discussing  together  any  subject  in 
which  either  was  Interested.     The  plan  which  Lester 


,^^''.r.\'; 


I     ' 


162 


THE  liAfNPROOF  INVENTION. 


i(  m 


\m 

t 

'       :i 

)■ 

sH 

k 

i 

'wS 

If 

fWw 

1  'U- 

IffH 

proposed  to  talk  over  with  Littleton  was  one  to  whieli 
the  clergyiiian  had  uh'eady  given  his  hearty  approval. 

"Well,  Hob,"  was  Lester's  first  (piestion  when  they 
were  Hettled  comfortably  l)eside  the  (Ire  in  Mr.  Nor- 
bury's  dinin<^  room,  "  do  you  feel  inclined  to  go  to  a 
lecture  on  chemistry  next  Wednesday?" 

IJob  stared.  "  What  in  the  world  should  I  go  to  a 
chemistry  lecture  for?" 

"  To  improve  your  mind,  to  be  sure,"  said  Lester, 
laughing  at  his  face. 

"  Suppose  I  don't  want  it  improved  !  "  said  Bob. 
"And  why  should  chemistry  do  it?  I  don't  know  less 
about  anything." 

"  Then  by  all  means  come,  and  you  '11  know  more. 
It  won't  cost  you  much,  and  there  are  to  be  other 
lectures  afterwards  on  l)otany  and  geology  and  music, 
and  perhaps  on  other  subjects,  too." 

"  So  you  call  this  a  great  scheme,  do  you  ?  "  said  Bob 
in  unaffected  amazement.  "  Well,  you  are  a  queer 
genius,  Lester!  Why  on  earth  you  should  take  the 
trouble  to  beguile  me  into  improving  my  mind  passes 
my  understanding  !  " 

"I  suppose  I  ought  to  admit  that  I  have  begun  at 
the  wrong  end  of  the  story,"  said  Lester;  "but  if 
you  '11  come  to  the  window,  I  '11  show  you  what  first 
put  it  into  my  head." 

Bob  followed  him  silently,  and,  drawing  back   the 


TIIK    W.    I.    I.   A. 


153 


C'lirtiiiii,  Arthur  pointed  to  tlio  l)riL;litly  liglited  win- 
dows of  :i  new  inn,  only  liiiirtlud  since  Klsie  and  Ihm- 
father  set  out  on  their  journey  ;  hut  the  Hwin<;  doors 
were  moving  constantly,  and  a  continuous  stream  of 
peoitle  wont  in  and  out,  some  of  them  not  too  steady 
Ml  tluiir  walk. 


■'Heastlv,  isn't  it?"  said  liob. 


What  will  Miss 


Norhury  think  ?    She  '11  hate  the  street  worse  than  ever. 


4( 


I 


Ihit  Lester  was  not  thinking  of  Miss  Norburj 
sui)[)ose  if  we  lived  where  some    of  those  fellows  do, 
we  might  go  in  there  ourselves  to  spend  an  evening 


(»nce  in  a  way.     It  is  lirjht  and  warm,  at 


[iny 


rate. 


Hob  watched  the  crowd  with  mingled  interest  and 
disgust.  "  Look,  Arthui',  at  that  old  cha[).  Hang  it 
all!  I  believe  he'd  go  after  the  stulT  into  a  —  coal- 
hole !  He  must  have  soaked  and  soaked  for  years  to 
get  such  a  face  as  that.  But  what  h:is  my  education 
and  your  i)recious  schenu;  to  do  with  this?" 

"  I  thought  that  perhaps  you  would  understand  ; 
but,  to  put  it  shortly,  you  know,  or  perhaps  you  don't 
know,  for  I  lind  that  a  gootl  many  Wharton  men  are 
ignorant  of  its  existence,  that  we  have  an  Intellectual 
Imi)rovement  Association  in  this  town." 

"Never  heard  of  it!"  said  Bob.  "But  it  isn't 
exactly  in  my  line." 

"  Well,  it  is  n't  nuich  of  an  alfair  at  the  best. 
There  's  a  bit  of  a  reading  room,  where  no  one  ever 


VI 


ill 


I  M 


164 


THE  ItAISriiOOF  INVENTION, 


IN 


1? 


'  I 


goes,  and  u  libraiy  with  about  fifty  books  in  it;  but 
Milwood  and  I  have  boon  thiiikin;;  we  nii<j;ht  renew  its 
youth  a  little,  and  perhaps  nuike  Hoinething  of  it  if  a 
few  younj5  fellows  like  yourself  would  help." 

"  And  I  suppose  the  seheine  is  to  run  it  ajjjaiuHt 
such  places  as  that  over  the  way,  and  gradually  ruin 
their  trade,"  said  Bob  drvlv.  "  I  'ni  afraid  it  Ml  need 
more  than  light  and  warmth  to  attract  such  old  topers 
as  the  gentleuuin  who  has  just  taken  a  seat  in  the 
gutter  down  there." 

''  1  don't  think  we  can  get  hold  of  the  old  topers  in 
that  way  ;  but  our  idea  is  that  prevention  is  better 
than  cure,  and  that  perhaps  some  might  not  take  to 
drink  at  all  if  they  had  somewhere  besides  the  public 
house  to  go  to.  Of  course  the  scheme  is  as  old  as 
the  hills,  but  it  hasn't  been  fairly  tried  in  Wharton, 
;  ul  we  might  do  something.  1  don't  expect  any  very 
splendid  results,  but  we  must  do  what  we  can." 

"Well,  I'll  come  to  your  chemistry  lecture  if  vou 
want  me  to,  though  1  'm  still  at  sea  as  to  what  effect 
it  is  to  have  on  any  one,  myself  included." 

''  1  ^v^ant  to  get  as  many  fellows  together  as  we  can 
for  the  first  attempt.  It  's  half  the  batt"  io  give  the 
thing  a  good  start.  Then  wo  can  get  committees  ap- 
pointed, and  see  what  ideas  people  have  to  suggest." 

"Don't  you  think  the  chemistry  is  enough  to  scare 
them  off  at  the  beginning?"  asked  Bob.     "Judging 


THE  W.   I.    I.  A. 


165 


\  i 


;  i»iit 

|H!W   its 

it  if  a 


ffJ^aiiiHt 


other  people  by  the  one  \  know  most  about,  I  hIiouM 
8!iy  they  fliul  it  hard  work  eiiougli  to  j^ot  jimuHenieut, 
let  iilone  im[)roveinent." 

''  Wo  tliou<;lit  the  experiments  wouKl  take." 

"They  might,"  said  Bob  dubiously;  "but  if  I'd 
been  you  I  would  have  begun  with  Homething  livelier. 
Have  a  good  concert  with  plenty  of  anmsing  songs 
and  recitations  —  Penny  Reading  btyle  of  thing,  I 
mean.  If  you  could  get  a  fellow  that  plays  some 
queer  kind  of  instrument  —  that  takes  awfully.  Why, 
they  nearly  raised  the  roof  down  at  Ilazelwood  when 
we  had  a  man  that  played  a  tin  whistle,  and  played  it 
well,  too." 

"I  don't  know  any  one  that  plays  except  on  the 
violin  or  the  piano,"  said  Arthur,  glad  to  see  that  Bob 
was  inclined  to  take  the  matter  up  with  zest. 

"  Well,  a  violin  's  not  bad,"  said  Bob  condescend- 
ingly. "  I  'd  have  one  if  you  can  get  it,  and  then  you 
might  —  by  George,  1  've  just  thought  of  a  fellow  that 
plays  the  hand  bells  !  I  might  get  him  down,  I  dare  say. 
That  would  be  capital !  He  has  a  dozen  or  so  of  bells, 
different  sizes,  on  a  table  before  him,  and  he  grabs 
them  up  as  he  vyauts  them,  as  quick  as  lightning.  It 's 
better,  though,  when  there  are  two  or  three  of  th«m 
together ;  then  they  have  four  in  each  hand,  and  ring 
just  which  one  of  them  they  want.  '  Auld  Lang  Syne ' 
(or  something  that  every  one  knows,  like  that),  '  by 


166 


THE  RAIN  PROOF  INVENTION. 


m 


%  ■  J  li 


w:\ 


the  Hand-Bell  Ringers '  would  look  fine  on  the  pro- 
gram, wouldn't  it?" 

"I'll  talk  to  Mr.  Milwood  to-morrow  about  this 
plan  of  yours.  1  am  beginning  to  think  it  might  be 
better  to  let  the  chemistry  lecture  stand  over  for  a 
week  or  two." 

"I'm  certain  of  it,"  said  Bob ;  "  and  if  you  could 
have  had  some  kind  of  'grub'  —  coffee  and  sand- 
wiches, or  lemonade  and  cake  —  I  'm  sure  it  would  help 
it  off  with  the  folks  tliat  are  out  of  work  at  any  rate. 
Besides,  it's  more  sociable  and  comfortable  ;  don't  you 
think  so?" 

"  Well,  Bob,  come  down  to  the  mission  hall  to- 
morrow night  and  let  us  talk  the  thing  over  with  Mr. 
Milwood." 

After  much  consultation  a  compromise  was  arrived 
at,  and  it  was  decided  to  begir.  the  evening  with  music 
and  recitations,  then  to  hand  round  bread  and  butter, 
coffee,  and  whatever  else  the  ladies  of  the  church  to 
which  Mr.  Milwood  belonged  were  liberal  enough  to  sup- 
ply ;  and  la.«tly,  when  the  audience  had  had  time  to  re- 
cover from  their  merriment,  a  short  lecture  was  to  be 
delivered  on  some  subject  of  real  and  practical  utility. 

It  was  proposed  to  hold  such  a  meeting  as  this  once 
a  week  under  the  name  of  the  AV.  I.  I.  A.  entertain- 
ment, but  the  reading  room  was  to  be  open  every  night 
of  the  week,  and  it  was  hoped  that  in    time   classes 


\ 


i: 


I       ( 
I 


pro- 

this 
it  he 


THE   W.  I.   I.  A. 


157 


might  he  formed  to  help  those  who  had  had  few  ad- 
vantages of  education.  Boh  had  ah'eady  i)ut  down 
his  name  as  teacher  of  writing  and  bookkeeping,  for 
on  those  two  subjects  he  felt  himself  thoroughly  at 
home,  and  he  burned  to  transmit  his  knowledge  to 
some  less  favored  being. 

If  he  had  not  had  to  practice  for  the  great  night 
close  at  hand,  I  do  believe  he  would  have  neglected 
even  his  singing.  For  a  full  fortnight  before  the  great 
day  he  bustled  out  of  the  otllce  when  the  clock  struck 
six,  as  if  he  intended  to  catch  a  train  and  had  a  long 
way  to  go  to  the  station ;  fidgeted  and  fretted  in 
private  (for  he  dared  not  say  anything  to  his  landlady) 
during  the  time  he  had  to  wait  till  the  tea  bell  rang  ; 
then,  having  swallowed  his  food  in  haste,  dived  into 
the  darkest,  dirtiest  lanes  and  alleys  of  the  town  with 
a  bundle  of  invitation  cards  in  his  hand.  Ih  was 
both  valiant  and  painstaking  in  his  efforts  to  distrib- 
ute them  to  advantage,  for  he  had  no  mind  to  give 
them  away  rashly.  Once  he  charged  into  the  middle 
of  a  game  of  ninepins,  hoping  to  cai)lure  tho  whole 
knot  of  rough  lads  for  his  concert,  l)ut  he  got  nothing 
except  uncivil  words;  and  another  time  he  waited  the 
whole  evening  beside  the  lowest  of  low  i)ublic  houses, 
giving  away  both  cards  and  temperance  lectures  to  the 
lads  who  went  in  and  out. 

The  night  of  the  entertainment  came  at  length,  and 


158 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


M 


-•*t^ 


then  Bob  saw  some  fruit  of  his  labors,  for  he  recog- 
nized the  face  of  many  a  young  fellow  to  whom  he 
had  spoken  in  the  crowd  that  filled  the  big  mission 
room  to  overllowing.  The  audience  had  a  curiously 
expectant,  not  to  say  nervous  look,  for  none  of  them 
had  much  idea  what  was  going  to  happen  next  in  spite 
of  the  program  written  by  the  untiring  Bob  in  letters 
of  gigantic  size  and  astonishing  roundness  on  a  big 
blackboard  at  the  side  of  the  platform. 

The  greater  number  had  come  in  their  ordinary 
v.'orking  clothes,  probably  for  the  good  reason  that 
they  possessed  no  others,  but  an  observant  eye  would 
have  discovered  the  signs  of  many  little  attempts  to  do 
honor  to  the  occasion  ''  by  ymartening  up  a  bit." 
Here  and  there  a  bonnet  of  many  colors  or  a  dazzling 
bit  of  ribbon  absolutely  glowed  in  contrast  with  the 
somber  hues  by  which  it  was  surrounded.  And,  al- 
though there  were  some  hands  and  faces  that  were 
almost  as  dingy  in  tint  as  the  neighboring  gowns  or 
jackets,  mo?t  of  them  had  received  a  generous  allow- 
ance of  soap  and  a  scrubbing  of  such  severity  that  it 
was  no  wonder  that  they  shone. 

A  few  minutes  before  half  past  seven  the  Rev. 
Daniel  Bestwood,  rector  of  the  parish,  took  his  place 
in  the  chair,  and  exactly  at  the  half-hour  tlie  proceed- 
ings were  opened  with  a  si)irited  di'et  on  the  piano, 
"The  Battle  of  Minden."     It  was  applauded  to  thy 


rccosr- 
loin  he 
luission 
i'iously 
tUeni 
n  spite 
letters 

a  bio- 

•diiuiry 

n   that 

would 

8  to  do 

bit." 

IZZliunr 

th  the 
id,  al- 
'  were 
nis  or 
iillow- 
hat  it 

Ilcv. 

place 
ceed- 
iauo, 
)  thy 


THE   W.  I.  I.  A. 


159 


echo ;  but  better  things  were  yet  to  come.  The  violin 
was  there,  and  also  a  'cello  and  bass  viol,  which  latter 
predisposed  the  audience  in  its  favor  by  its  stately 
size.  The  hand-bell  ringers  (three  of  them)  made  the 
air  melodious  with  the  sweet  notes  of  Bob's  favorite, 
"  Auld  Lang  Syne,"  and  awoke  great  wonder  in  the 
breasts  of  all  beholders  by  the  magnificent  manner  in 
which  they  rang  the  bells  they  meant  to  ring  and  not 
any  of  the  others. 

Charley  Milwood,  who  had  attired  himself  in  the 
stiffest  of  high  collars  and  the  most  elegant  of  light 
silk  ties,  recited  with  great  expression  and  appro- 
priate gesture  a  sentimental  and  tragic  ballad  entitled 
"  The  Maiden's  Sacrifice,"  which  he  had  dug  up  out  of 
some  old  magazine  as  affording  full  scope  for  all  his 
elocutionary  powers.  The  audience,  being  sympa- 
thetic, was  greatly  moved  both  by  the  piece  and  the 
evident  distress  of  the  reciter. 

Then  Arthur  sang  that  whilom  favorite,  "  Nancy 
Leo,"  and  last  of  all  Bob  sang.  He  brought  down  the 
house  when  he  first  appeared  in  his  white  waistcoat 
and  best  attitude  ;  indeed  the  audience  would  hardly 
let  him  begin  from  admiration  of  his  appearance,  lie 
had  chosen  a  humorous  account  of  the  troubles  of  a 
certain  husband  when  he  undertook  to  give  his  wife  a 
holiday  and  cook  the  Sunday  dinner.  Each  of  the 
misadventures   of    this   generous   man   was   received 


P^\.  ■('■:% 


,'i!i 


160 


THE  liAINI'L'OOF  INVENTION. 


HI 


with  a  fresh  burst  of  jipplaiise,  and  when  at  the  hist 
verse  Bob  made  one  swi'epini>;  Itow  and  flung  himself 
off  tlic  platform  to  disappear  among  the  rest  of  the 
performers  at  the  side  of  tlu'  room,  the  enthusiasm 
rose  to  a  most  extraordinary  pitch,  and  nothing  would 
still  the  storm  of  shouts  and  clapping  till  his  white 
waistcoat  and  beaming  countenance  onec  more  dazzled 
all  eves.  For  his  encore  he  sang  the  "  Farmyard 
Song,"  which  involved  such  snrprisir.g  imitations  of 
the  voices  of  every  animal  or  fowl  domesticated  in 
England  that  it  was  wonderful  that  one  human  throat 
and  pair  of  lungs  could  stand  the  strain.  At  times  it 
seemed  as  if  the  dwellers  in  the  fannvard,  like  a  dis- 
orderly  family,  were  all  ''  speaking  at  once,"  each 
neighing,  crowing,  quacking,  s(iuealing,  barking,  or 
braying,  as  nature  liad  given  the  power. 

After  this  great  huist  of  genius,  cake  and  coffee 
were  passed  round,  and  then  Hugh  Milwood  delivered 
a  short  address,  explaining  the  objects  of  the  1.  I.  A., 
and  inviting  every  man  or  lad  [jrcscnit  to  join  it. 

Thus  was  brilliantly  inauguratcnl  what  Stanton 
afterwards  dubl)ed  "the  revival  of  learning"  in 
Whai'ton.  The  local  pai)ers  had  a  good  word  for 
everybody,  from  the  [)r()jectors  of  the  scheme  to 
Charley  Milwood  ;  and  now  it  only  remained  to  see 
whether  it  would  be  of  any  pnictical  benefit  to  the 
class  whom  it  was  intended  to  help. 


THE    W.    I.    I.   A, 


161 


Incidentally  it  seemed  likely  to  be  of  benefit  to 
its  promoters,  at  any  rate.  Bob  Littleton,  though  a 
sadder  as  well  as  wiser  man  from  his  peregrinations  in 
the  slums,  liad  a  deepened  interest  for  all  mankind. 
And  even  Charley  Milwocjd  thought  less  of  his  collars 
Mild  his  dignity  for  his  efforts  t<^  devise  a  practicable 
scheme  for  teaching  the  dillicult  art  of  reading  to  men 
who  had  grown  up  in  complete  ignorance  of  anything 
beyond  the  streets  and  workshops.  And  Arthur  found 
in  it  solace  both  from  his  cares  and  his  sorrows 
till  unkind  whispers  reached  him  of  insincerity  and 
hypocrisy,  for  the  evil  reputation  of  his  uncle  brought 
suspicion  upon  his  nephew  and  manager. 


m 


5     i 


i  1 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


ON   THE    DOWNWAKI)    ROAD. 


"TV  ^AUD  and  Ler  mother  had  been  present  at  the 
■^-^  I.  1.  A.  concert,  but  Ralph  had  spent  the 
evening  with  some  of  his  friends.  He  disapproved  of 
the  whole  thing,  and  loudly  declared  that  it  was  utter 
nonsense  to  attempt  "  to  educate  the  masses  above 
their  position."  The  question  was  exhaustively  dis- 
cussed one  morning  in  the  ofllce,  and  Rob  and  Ralph 
were  the  ciiief  spokesmen.  Bob  insisted  (reasonably 
enough)  that  there  was  little  danger  of  the  I.  I.  A.  or 
any  other  association  having  the  power  to  over-educate 
anybody. 

"  It  will  put  a  lot  of  nonsense  into  their  heads  at 
any  rate,"  said  Ralph.  "Those  people  are  ready 
enough  to  think  themselves  as  good  as  their  betters." 

"  I  hate  that  word,"  said  Bob;  "betters  begs  the 
whole  (piestiou,  and  talking  of  the  masses  is  nearly  as 
bad.  One  is  apt  enough  to  forget  that  they  are  all 
men  and  women  just  as  much  as  those  who  have 
decent  clothes  on  their  backs.  The  great  difference 
between  us  is,  1  suppose,  that  we  have  had  some 
chance  in  life,  and  they  have  n't ;  that  is,  except  some 

162 


ON  THE  DOWNWAIW  ROAD. 


163 


few  poor  beggars  (the  wretclicdest  of  the  lot)  wbo 
have  thrown  their  chances  away.  I  wish,  Warrington, 
that  yon  wonld  come  and  give  us  a  hand  down  there. 
We  want  to  have  a  double  or  treble  staff  so  that  we 
can  have  the  thing  going  all  the  week,  and  not  be 
!)Ound  to  give  up  all  our  evenings  to  it.  I  wish  you 
would  take  my  class  —  writing  and  bookkeeping,  you 
know  —  for  one  or  two  evenings  in  the  week.  It's 
awfully  interesting,  but  it  ties  one  uncommonly." 

Uai[)ii  shrugged  his  shoulders,  saying  coldly,  '■  i 
don't  approve  of  the  thing,  Littleton ;  did  I  not  tell 
you  so  before  ?  " 

r>ut  Bob  was  not  easily  put  down,  and  he  persisted 
ir  his  efforts  to  get  Warrington  interested  in  the 
I.  I.  A.,  till  that  gentleman  was  so  much  annoyed 
that  he  would  scarcely  answer  liim.  Bob  shrewdly 
suspected  that  the  shameful  lesson  he  had  received 
had  not  cured  Kal[)h  of  his  liking  for  late  hours  and 
foolish  company,  and  he  dreaded  that  sooner  or  later 
another  outbreak  would  occur  as  disgraceful  as  the 
last.  Yet  he  had  never  spoken  to  him  of  the  matter 
sine 3  tiie  night  he  sheltered  him,  for  he  knew  instinc- 
tively ihnt  Ralplj's  pride  would  not  endure  the  most 
kindly  meant  .varning. 

Ralph's  mother  and  sister  were  still  in  unsuspecting 
ignorance  of  his  follies  and  sins ;  indeed  at  this  time 
Maud  was  so  much  absorbed  in  her  own  affairs  that 


\! 


I 


mmmmm 


•::f: 


t;  i 


2ri 


i 


164 


THE    / ' 4/ A'  PA' UOF  l\  VENTIOy. 


she  luul  little  tlioti,i;lit  to  <j;ivc  to  others,  even  to  those 
who  were  ncjirest  lier. 

She  had  met  Arthur  :it  the  eoiutert,  had  bowed 
coldly  to  him,  Jind  h:id  tiii'iicd  iiway  iier  JK'ud,  hut  all 
through  the  evening  she;  had  thought  of  no  one  hut 
him.  She  was  jealous  of  the  girls  who  could  chat 
with  him  at  their  will,  ami  she  was  angry  that  he 
should  be  so  self-posse?-'  ;ed  and  chc^erful  in  her  re- 
proachfid  presence.  Evidently  he  was  satisfied  with 
things  as  they  were,  while  she  was  still  in  the  heat  of 
the  battle  with  her  sorely  wounded  love  and  her  angry 
pri(ie.  All  night  she  tossed  u[)on  lier  bed,  sleepless 
and  resentful,  while  Art  inn-  slept,  calm  in  his  own  un- 
selfish purpose  and  his  unfaltering  resolve  that  his  life 
should  not  be  wasted,  though  his  hopes  had  met  with 
such  disastrous  wreck. 

A  day  or  two  later  Maud  and  Arthur  met  again  on 
the  business  of  the  last  new  design.  No  word  was 
spoken  except  on  business,  but  tiie  girl  was  grieved 
with  Lester's  easy  inditTerence,  while  he  was  ecjually 
grieved  that  she  should  keep  u[)  so  strange  a  show  of 
anger,  when  she  herself  had  cast  him  oiT  for  the  sake 
(as  he  supposed)  of  a  more  favored  suitor.  For  the 
first  time  he  began  to  fancv  that  Maud  was  ftdse  and 
heartless  enougli  to  have  acted  a  part  throughout;  and 
it  was  a  second  bitter  disappointment  to  think  that  the 
girl  whom  he  had  loved  had  had  no  real  existence. 


i  I 


ON  THE  DOWXWAnD   JtOAD. 


165 


to    tllOHO 

Ik)\vc(1 
)iii  all 
one   but 
Id   chat 
that   lie 
licr   ro- 
od with 
licat  (jf 
r  aiii^ry 
lei'i)U\ss 
hvii    llll- 
his  iife 
let  with 

::!iin  on 
I'd   was 
^'riovcd 
(NMiallv 
iiow  of 
ic  sako 
'\n-  the 
so  and 
t;  and 
lat  the 
;e. 


Meanwhile  Maud  went  honi(i  to  write  in  the  coldest 
of  business  terms  to  the  manager  of  Norbury  ISIills, 
informing  him  that  she  regretted  the  necessity  of  giv- 
ing up  her  wv;  ic  ,  designer  for  the  factory,  but  that 
it  was  by  w  nea  .  worth  her  while  to  keep  on  with  it. 
It  was  t'  .;j  e.  ;ngh  ;  her  earnings  were  exceedingly 
small,  an-i  thv.  work  of  adapting  other  people's  designs 
to  the  L  .,  ;icies  of  the  patent  cloth  was  about  as 
uninteresting  as  art  work  of  any  kind  could  well  be  ; 
but  her  strongest  motive  was  her  desire  to  escape 
from  the  necessity  of  such  painful  scenes  as  that  she 
had  passed  through  in  the  afternoon.  It  was,  as  she 
told  herself,  unendura])le. 

"  Well,  mother,"  she  exclaimed  that  evening  when 
t'.ic  note  was  posted,  "  I  hope  you  and  Ralph  will  be 
satisfied  I  I  have  resigned  my  grand  appointment  as 
designer  to  the  Norbury  IMills,  and  now  I  shall  have  to 
try  to  win  fame  and  fortune  without  further  instruction, 
unless  I  can  make  some  arrangement  to  get  lessons  at 
the  Art  School  for  teaching  some  of  the  junior  pupils. 
What  do  you  think,  mother?     Is  it  worth  trying?" 

"  It  might  he.     What  time  is  it,  Maud?" 

"  Half  past  nine,  mother.  Where  is  Ralph  to- 
night?" 

"He  didn't  tell  me  where  he  was  going;  he  only 
said  he  would  n't  be  long.  I  do  wish  he  would  stay  at 
home  more." 


166 


THE  ItAIXrnOOF  INVENTION. 


SI 


'  .1 


l] 

r    i 
f    -    \ 


Mrs.  Warrington  looked  worn  and  feeble,  unci  Msuul 
was  struck  with  compunction  tluit  she  had  left  her  so 
mudi  alone.  "  Don't  worry  over  him,  mother  dear. 
Lie  down  on  tiie  sofa  and  let  me  tuck  you  up,  and 
then  I'll  read  to  vou.  What  shidl  it  be,  'Two 
Years  Ago'  or  '  Nicholas  Nickleby  '?" 

The  adventures  of  tiie  young  schoolmaster  at  Do- 
theboys  Hall  occupied  tlieir  attention  till  nearly  eleven; 
then  Maud  discovered  that  her  mother  had  fallen 
asleep,  and  closing  her  book  softly  she  drew  up  her 
chair  to  the  fire,  and  looking  into  its  glowing  depths 
fancied  she  saw  pictures  of  the  future.  In  other  days 
her  dreams  had  been  of  a  certain  great  artist,  admired 
for  her  genius  through  the  length  and  l)readth  of  the 
land  ;  now  the  only  one  that  attracted  her  was  that 
of  a  beautiful  home,  (Hied  with  comfort  and  ease 
and  pleasure,  but  made  happy  all  l)y  love.  She  did 
not  dream  of  this  as  likely  to  l)e  realized,  but  she 
played  with  it  and  thought  how  sweet  life  would  have 
been  if  all  had  gone  well,  and  for  the  moment  she 
tried  to  forget  that  it  never  could  come  true.  Perhaps 
she  longed  for  it  all  the  more  earnestly  ])ecause  her 
early  home  had  been  so  sad  and  cold  to  her,  ])ut  her 
mother  sighed  deeply  in  lier  sleep,  and  as  she  looked 
on  her  worn  face  a  great  wave  of  pity  and  tenderness 
for  her  swept  over  Maud's  heart.  If  her  mother  had 
not  fully  returned  her  love,  what  could  her  own    be 


ON  rill-:  Dow.wvAun  uoad. 


167 


worth  to  measure  so  carofully  lest  she  should  give 
back  more  thiui  wiis  due?  Out  of  the  glowing  fire 
came  another  thought  to  Maud,  a  vision  of  Him 
who  waited  not  to  be  loved  ere  he  bestowed  on  weak 
and  sinful  men  a  love  "•  that  passeth  knowledge," 
deep  as  eternity,  untiring  as  omniijotence.  What  if 
He,  too,  had  cared  to  restrain  his  love  within  the  poor 
measure  of  that  which  should  be  returned  for  it?  The 
dancing  flames  died  down  into  a  steady  glow,  and 
Maud  thought  of  her  hopes  and  fears,  and  was 
ashamed  to  see  how  completely  she  was  devoted  to  the 
worship  of  herself.  Her  hopes,  her  will,  her  pleasure 
had  been  all  in  all  to  her.  IIow  had  she  dared  to  call 
herself  by  the  name  of  Him  who  had  pleased  not 
himself?  But  then  and  there  in  that  silent  room  came 
to  her  a  new  conception  of  the  service  to  which  she 
had  pledged  herself  and  wherein  she  had  failed  so 
miserably.  "  Ye  ought  to  lay  down  your  lives  for  the 
brethren,"  not  only  to  be  ready  to  die  for  them  if  need 
])e,  but  to  make  the  longer  and  sometimes  the  grander 
sacrifice  of  living  steadily,  patiently,  and  unceasingly 
for  others.  Alas !  the  onward  way  looked  dark  and 
difficult  to  her. 

The  clock  in  the  church  near  bv  struck  twelve,  but 
Mrs.  Warrington  slept  on,  and  JViaud  was  still  absorbed 
in  her  reverie.  The  fire  fell  gradually  to  ashes  at  her 
feet,  and  the  girl  moved  at  last  to  put  another  ahawl 


168 


TlIK  ItAISPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


%•  ! 


i  ■    r 


over  her  sloeping  inothur.  What  could  be  keepin<4 
Ralph? 

Noisy  laughter  sounded  in  the  street  and  Maud 
trembled  in  spite  of  herself.  It  came  nearer  and 
nearer.  There  was  a  buzz  of  conversation  and  her 
mother  started  up  in  alarm.  A  strange,  uncertain, 
unfamiliar  step  sounded  on  the  narrow  gravel  walk, 
and  then  they  heard  some  one  fumbling  at  the  lock. 
"  Maud,  that  cannot  be  Ralph,"  gasped  Mrs.  War- 
rington.    ''  He  has  the  latch  key." 

But  Maud  only  passed  her  arm  round  her  waist 
and  said  nothing. 

The  next  minute  the  door  was  thing  noisily  open  and 
Ralph  stumbled  into  the  room.  Even  then  his  mother 
would  not  see  what  there  was  no  room  to  deny.  "  Oh, 
my  boy,"  she  murmured,  "  you  are  ill ;  what  has  hap- 
pened ?  " 

Ralph  laughed  harshly  and  replied  in  a  th'  k,  husky 
voice,  "Never  felt  better  in  my  life,  moth-r;  and 
Miss  Norbury  has  promised  to  marry  me.  We  '11 
have  gay  doings  at  the  wedding,  I  tell  you.  Now, 
mother,  crying,  what 's  that  for?  " 

Mrs.  Warrington  had  sunk  into  a  chair,  and  had 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  but  she  looked  up 
presently,  with  a  face  as  gray  as  her  shawl,  to  say, 
"Maud,  child,  go  to  bed;  Ralph  will  be  all  right  in 
the  morning."     She  could  not  bear  that  even  his  sister 


O.V   THE  DOWNWARD  liOAD. 


169 


hIiouUI  see  the  sluime  of  Ium"  best  ])oI()ved.  She  still 
tried  to  shieUl  him  with  the  poor  pieten.se  of  illiie.sH. 
"(Jo  to  bed,"   she  repented;  "I  will  ctdl  if  I   need 

yo.i." 

]M:iud  hesitated,  then  kissed  her  nmther's  white  lips 
and  left  the  room  ;  l)nt  she  did  not  ^o  to  bed.  She 
only  partly  undressed  and,  wrappini^  a  dressing  jijown 
about  her,  lay  down  on  the  coverlet,  straining  her  ears 
to  listen  to  what  was  going  on  below. 

Ralph  talked  rapidly  at  first,  but  as  his  excitement 
passed  away  he  sunk  into  a  state  of  stupefaction, 
while  his  mother  watched  beside  him  on  her  knees, 
crying  to  God  for  mercy  on  the  son  whom  she  loved 
better  than  life  itself.  In  the  morning  she  went  to 
her  little  servant's  room  and  invented  some  errand  to 
get  her  out  of  the  house  for  an  hour  or  two,  till 
Ralph  had  had  time  to  sleep  oft  the  effects  of  his 
dissipation. 

lie  awoke  at  last  sullen  and  angry  with  himself,  but 
Avreakiug  his  annoyance  on  his  mother  and  ISIaud. 
He  was  an  hour  l;ilo  tit  the  cdice,  and  L(!ster,  though 
he  would  have  pj-eferred  to  j)nss  it  over  in  silence,  felt 
obliged  to  ad;uinister  a  slifili^  rebuke.  Unfortunately, 
Warrington  whs  in  no  nioo.i  to  bear  it,  and  replied  so 
insultingly  that,  if  Lester  had  not  had  a  large  me:isure 
of  self-control,  ihere  is  no  saying  where  the  difliculty 
would  have  ended. 


170 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


i^} 


As  it  was,  a  little  meditation  brought  Ralph  to  his 
senses,  and  for  once  he  condescended  to  apologize  for 
his  rudeness ;  but  at  homo  he  could  not  undo  the 
effect  of  what  he  had  done.  His  mother  tried  to  be 
the  same  as  usual,  but  she  seemed  to  have  become 
suddenly  ten  years  older.  The  sight  of  her  was  a  re- 
proach, and  when  night  came  Ralph  again  resolved  to 
stav  at  home  and  give  wav  to  his  follv  no  more.  Maud 
was  exceptionally  patient  and  anxious  to  please  him, 
but  he  was  not  sorry  that  she  was  obliged  to  go  out. 

"  Mother,'  he  said  suddenly  when  they  were  alone, 
"  I  promise  you  that  I  will  never  again  come  home  as 
I  did  last  night.  Do  not  fear  it.  I  am  disgusted  and 
ashamed  that  I  should  have  done  such  a  thing." 

Mrs.  Warrington's  pale  face  brightened  a  little,  but 
she  said  doubtfully,  "  Won't  you  promise,  Ralph,  not 
to  touch  it  again  ?  That  is  the  safest  course  for  one 
who  finds  temptation  in  it." 

"  Mother,"  said  Ralph,  proudly  throwing  back  his 
head,  "  I  cannot  promise  that.  It  would  look  so 
foolish  to  my  friends.  You  must  trust  me  without 
that." 

''I  wish,  Ralph,  you  would  give  up  those  friends, 
indeed,  if  you  would  but  believe  it,  they  are  your 
enemies." 

'*  Mother,  it  was  not  their  fault;  it  was  my  own 
folly." 


Oy   THE  DOWNWAIiD  JiOAD. 


171 


There  was  a  long  pause,  for  Mrs.  Warrington  was 
turning  over  in  ber  mind  all  arguments  by  which  she 
could  hope  to  move  him  from  his  plainly  ill-founded 
self-confidence.  "  Have  you  thought,"  she  said  at 
last,  "  that  it  may  ruin  you  at  the  office  if  tliis  gets 
known  ?  Mr.  Norbury  is  not  a  man  to  have  nuich 
patience  with  those  in  his  employ.  Oh,  do  give  up 
going  out  so  nnich ;  it  will  be  your  ruin." 

"  It  shall  not,  mother." 

There  was  another  pause,  and  Mrs.  Warrington  said 
slowly,  for  she  was  almost  ashamed  to  refer  to  the 
disgraceful  scene  of  last  night,  "Ralph,  is  what  you 
said  of  Miss  Norbury  true?  " 

"  What  did  I  say,  mother?  " 

"  That  she  is  soon  to  be  your  wife." 

"  I  don't  know,  mother.  She  gave  me  a  kind  of 
half  promise,"  said  the  young  man  gloomily.  "  I 
feel  at  times  as  if  it  would  be  too  much  happiness  for 
me  to  win  her." 

"Indeed,  Ralph,  she  might  be  proud  of  your  love, 
but  I  am  afraid  she  does  not  mean  it." 

"  Why,  mother?" 

"Because — people  say  she  is  engaged  to  her 
cousin." 

"  Mother,  it  can't  be  true.  She  hardly  looks  at  him 
or  speaks  to  him,  and  the  very  last  night  she  was  at 
home  she  talked    as   if   she  would    have   said    '  Yes  * 


172 


THE  liAIXPEOOF  IXVENTIOX. 


then,  })ut  for  her  father.  Oh,  T  am  sui-e  she  earos  for 
me;  she  told  me  T  had  a  rij^ht  to  hope,  and  I  will  l>o 
worthy  of  her.  T  promise  you  again,  mother,  T  will 
do  nothing  to  disgrace  our  name." 

Christmas  passed  more  liappily  than  might  liave 
been  expected,  and  for  weeks  IJalpli  kept  his  word, 
coming  home  earlier  than  formerly  and  attending 
better  to  his  work  at  the  oflice. 

And  Maud  kept  her  word,  thoiigii  it  was  unspoken 
save  to  God.  She  had  begun  the  struggle  for  the 
mastery  of  self,  and  she  was  not  always  defeated. 
Her  mother  felt,  though  she  scarcely  un<lerstood,  the 
change,  and  began  to  lean  on  her  as  she  had  uevei' 
done  before. 

Suddenly  Ralph  fell,  or  was  led  by  Stanton,  into 
fierce  temptation,  and  once  more  he  proved  the  weak- 
ness of  the  resolve  to  go  so  far  and  no  farther.  This 
time  he  went  all  lengths,  and  en  me  home  not  only 
foolish  but  violent.  It  was  no  longer  possible  to  hide 
what  was  the  matter  even  from  the  little  maid.  Hut 
it  is  useless  to  continue  the  painful  story,  which  was 
only  the  old  thing  over  ngain  ;  first  indulgence  of 
himself,  then  disgrace,  and  lastly  remorseful  but 
unavailing  promises  to  liis  mother.  But  she  could  not 
trust  him,  and  the  black  cloud  settled  lower  over 
Briar  Cottage. 


I 


CHAPTKR  XV. 

AUTII  UU's    SHOES. 

AUTHIJR  WHS  aittiiij:;  writing  in  di<j;niried  seclusion 
in  his  uncle's  private  room,  to  which  he  had 
been  i)ronioted  during  the  absence  of  the  master  of 
the  mills,  when  Charley  brought  in  a  packet  of  letters. 
Most  (»f  them  were  business  letters  of  the  driest  pos- 
sible description,  but  one  addressed  to  him  in  his 
private  cai)acity  was  a  very  tlatteriug  note  from  the 
editor  of  The  Onlooker,  retiuesting  him  to  contribute 
anc^ther  paper  as  soon  as  possible ;  another  was  from 
Klsie,  asking  him  to  send  her  some  music  she  wanted ; 
and  a  third  was  from  Mr.  Norbury.  This  last- 
mentioned  epistle  gave  him  a  good  deal  of  disquiet, 
for  the  writer  stated  that  he  considered  his  last  rei)ort 
to  be  eminently  unsatisfactory.  The  profits  of  the 
])usiness  iiad  l)een  exceptionally  small  for  several 
months,  and  Mr.  Norbury  declared  his  intention  of 
returning  almost  at  once,  as  it  was  now  the  beginning 
of  March  and  the  cold  weather  was  unlikely  to  con- 
tinue for  any  length  of  time ;  but  meanwhile  he  pro- 
posed as  a  remedy  for  the  diminished  profits  to  reduce 
the  wages  of  all  the  work  people.     He  directed  Lester 

173 


I 


174 


THE  BAINritOOF  INVENTION. 


S'Hil 


to  give  immediate  notice  of  the  cliauge,  as  well  as  to 
reduce  the  number  of  bands  in  every  department, 
mentioning  by  name  those  who  were  to  be  dismissed. 
Even  the  office  was  not  to  escape  this  reform  ;  Johnson 
was  to  go  and  a  lad  who  had  only  been  employed  for 
a  month  or  two. 

Arthur  was  dismayed  to  receive  these  commands,  for 
he  knew  that  the  men  and  women  who  were  tuined  off 
would  have  excessive  ditliculty  in  finding  othei'  work 
in  the  state  of  trade.  In  his  perplexity  he  had 
recourse  to  Mr.  JNIilwood,  but  the  command  was  too 
direct  and  unconditional  to  allow  much  uncertainty  as 
to  its  meaning. 

"  1  am  afraid  there  is  no  way  of  avoiding  the 
thing,"  said  Mr.  Milwood  sadly.  "They  will  have 
to  go." 

"I  should  not  blame  them  much  if  they  struck," 
said  Arthur.  "  My  uncle  might  be  satistled  if  he  can 
hold  his  head  a])ove  water  in  times  like  tluisc,  without 
attempting  to  keep  his  prollts  up  to  what  they  were 
two  years  ago." 

The  conference  had  not  suggested  anv  wav  out  of 
the  ditliculty.  Mr.  Milwood  had  indeed  advised  obedi- 
ence, though  he  was  as  sorry  for  tiie  work  peoi)le  as 
any  one,  for  he  knew  his  chief  of  old  and  he  feared 
that  delay  miglit  (^iily  render  him  harder  and  more 
grasping.     As    it   commonly    ha[)pens,    however,    the 


ARTHUR'S  SHOES. 


175 


discussion  had  shown  Lester  what  he  would  not  do ;  he 
was  resolved  not  to  take  any  steps  in  the  matter  till 
he  had  written  to  hif^  incle  and  protested  against  the 
wrong  he  was  contemplating.  lie  wrote  accordingly, 
setting  forth  in  the  strongest  possible  terms  the  poverty 
of  the  people  and  his  dislike  to  Mr.  Norbury's  deter- 
mination ;  but  a  week  passed  and  no  answer  came. 

There  is  an  old  proverb  which  states  that  "  It  never 
rains  but  it  pours."  In  that  week  a  number  of  acci- 
dents happened,  some  small,  some  great,  which  were 
likely  to  increase  materially  Lester's  discomfort  in 
giving  in  account  of  his  stewardship.  A  quantity  of 
cloth  was  returned  on  his  hands  as  do-raaged,  an  im- 
portant portion  of  the  machinery  got  out  of  order, 
and,  W(  st  of  all,  a  firm  which  had  always  been  regarded 
as  per  tly  safe  failed  for  a  large  amount  a  month  or 
two  ;  r  purchasing  a  considerable  quantity  of  goods 
on  c     lit. 

I-A-  or  was  superintending  the  stowing  away  of 
th  I  turned  goods  on  a  bhistering  March  morning 
wl  n\  a  familiar  fij^ure  turned  the  corner  and  waliicd 
briskly  down  the  street.  Jt  was  Mr.  Norbury.  wrapped 
up  to  the  eyes  to  protect  him  from  the  inclemency  of 
the  English  climate,  but  looking  tolerably  fierce,  not- 
witi;  t.mding. 

"  How  d'ye  do,  Artliur?"  he  said  grullly.  ''  What 
is  the  meaning  of  all  this?  " 


m 


i 


A: 


176 


THE  liALM'IiOOF  INVENTION. 


Arthur  explained. 

"  Well,  eonie  inside,"  said  his  uncle,  frowning.  "  I 
have  a  pretty  long  account  to  settle  with  you.  But 
first,  did  you  do  as  I  ordered  aljout  dismissing  those 
fellows?" 

"  No.     Did  n't  you  get  mv  letter?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  thought  coming  home  was  the  best  way 
of  answering  it." 

Mr.  Norbury  acknowledged  the  astonished  saluta- 
tions of  the  clerks  in  exactly  the  same  manner  as  if 
he  had  gone  away  but  yesterday.  lie  merely  nodded 
as  he  stalked  through  the  room,  but  at  the  sight  of 
Lester  following  him  a  suppressed  whisper  passed  from 
one  to  the  other. 

"Whew!"  whistled  .Tolinson,  '"Lester  is  in  for  a 
pretty  row."  lie  did  not  know  that  he  himself  formed 
part  of  the  fiubject  of  it. 

"  Would  n't  you  like  to  be  in  Arthur's  shoes  now?" 
demanded  Bob  as  Charley  bustled  past  him  on  some 
errand  from  his  irate  master. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Norl)urv  was  examining  books  and 
papers  in  the  inner  oflice  and  finding  fault  with  every- 
thing tiiat  had  been  done  since  his  departure.  Arthiu" 
listened  in  silence  that  provoked  his  angry  relative  to 
greater  violence.  "  Well,  what  have  you  to  say  for 
vourself?"  he  asked  at  last. 

Thus  appealed  to,  Arthur  stated  firmly  but  respect- 


ARTHUirS  SHOES. 


177 


9" 


fully,  that  "  he  had  done  his  lit  most  to  please  him,  and 
that  he  thought  that  lie  wcMiid  soon  discover  that  things 
were  not  as  l)ad  as  he  surmised."  lint  he  did  not  waste 
iiKiny  words  upon  the  matter,  for  he  knew  that  his 
uncle  was  too  angry  at  that  moment  to  be  able  to  sec 
reason. 

At  this  point  the  manufacturer  liimself  became  well- 
nigh  speechless,  for  his  passion  was  rapidly  r^etting 
the  better  of  him.  He  drew  his  shaggy  eyebrows  into 
a  ioj bidding  frowii,  from  inider  which  his  fierce  gray 
eyes  gleamed  savagely.  He  hesitated  and  stammered 
with  rage,  but  his  few  words  now  expressed  more  than 
the  torrent  of  reproaches  which  he  had  poured  forth 
before.  Mr.  Norbury,  rich  as  he  was,  sometimes  used 
very  coarse  and  insulting  language  to  those  whom  he 
called  d('[>endants  and  inferiors,  counting  on  their 
humble  su))missi<)n  as  due  t<^  liis  position.  Rut  he 
had  reckoned  without  his  host.  Arthur  spoke  very 
quietly,  but  wilii  tin  air  that  would  have  done  no 
discredit  to  one  of  his  old  favorites  —  Lord  Nigel  or 
Vichlan  Vohr. 

"Uncle  James,"  he  said,  '"■  I  do  not  caro  to  discuss 
the  matter  just  now,  but  will  wait  until  you  are  in  a 
different  state  of  mind."  So  saying,  he  opened  the 
door  and  made  his  exit  with  much  dignity,  but  by  the 
time  he  had  arrived  in  the  street  be  bc-an  to  Avonder 
what  to  do  U3xt.     For  a  moment  he  stood  still,  but 


IF 


m 


UMl 


178 


THE  liAINPliOOF  LWENTlOy. 


Jfji'! 


! 


retlecting  that  the  siijiiH  of  hM-esoliitioti  niij!;ht  bo 
observed  by  his  iiiK^le  from  the  ollice  windows,  lie  iiu- 
niedlatoly  proceeded  on  Jiis  way  t(j  nowhere  in  particular 
with  a  firm  step  and  a  haughty  carriage. 

lie  had  not  gone  far  before  he  almost  ran  against 
pjlsie,  who  greeted  liim  effusively,  saying,  "  Well, 
Arthur,  1  really  am  (lattered  that  you  should  be  coming 
up  io  see  me  iu  such  haste." 

"•  I  was  not  coming,"  said  Arthur  truthfully.  '•'  The 
fact  is  uncle  and  I  have  had  what  liob  calls  '  no  end  of 
a  row,'  and  1  just  came  out  to  let  him  cool  a  little." 

"And  vourself,  too?"  asked  Klsie  with  lathcr  a 
comical  look.  ''  I  thought  you  had  rather  m  tragic  air. 
But  what's  the  matter?  Father's  tired  with  his  jour- 
ney, and  that  always  makes  him  cross.  I  've  had 
some  lively  exi)eriences  with  him  myself  whenever  we 
have  had  to  travel  all  night." 

"  I  dare  say  you  have." 

"  But  the  only  way  is  to  laugh  at  him,  and  take  no 
notice    *"  what  he  says." 

"I  don't  suppose  you  have  ever  seen  him  as  —  vio- 
lent as  he  was  this  morning." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know.  He  was  about  as  angrv  as  he 
could  be  when  he  got  your  last  letter.  Was  the  row 
this  morning  about  that?" 

"No,  about  everything,  or  rather  nothing.  We  had 
not  got  to  that  when  I  came  away.     I  want  to  discuss 


AliTlIUlVS  SHOES. 


179 


it  fairly,  but  there  vvuh  no  use  in  trying  to  do  that  this 


niornnif^. 


''  If  I  were  you,  Arthur,  I  would  let  it  go.  He  has 
made  up  liis  mind  on  the  subject,  antl  nothing  ever 
changes  him." 

"I  can't  stay  in  the  otilce,  Klsie,  and  have  such 
things  go  on.  It  is  wicked  to  grind  down  the  poor 
like  that,  and  1  won't  be  a  party  to  it. 

'*  If  he  will  do  it,  it  won't  be  your  fault.  If  you 
oppose  him  too  much,  there  will  be  an  end  of  your 
prospects.  Do  have  a  little  prudence  and  connuon 
sense,  Arthur !  "  Elsie  spoke  earnestly,  for  she  really 
liked  her  cousin. 

''Elsie,  if  vou  had  seen  as  much  as  1  have  of  the 
way  those  peo[)le  live,  you  would  do  anything  to  pre- 
vent uncle's  making  the  wrong  worse." 

"•  If  you  roally  could  do  any  good,  I  should  n't  blame 
you,  but  it's  folly  to  throw  away  a  good  chance  of 
getting  on,  for  what  will  do  no  good  to  anybody.  I 
think  father  has  been  very  well  satisfied  with  your 
management  until  that  last  letter  came." 

''  You  would  n't  say  so  if  you  had  seen  his  letters." 

"  Oh,  you  are  too  thin-skiuned.  His  letters  mean 
nothing ;  he  always  grumbles  to  keep  people  up  to  the 
mark.  He  was  talking  of  staying  away  till  JNIay,  and 
he  dropped  a  word  or  two  about  the  partnershi[)." 

''  1  'm  sorry  1  shortened  your  travels,  but  1  would  u't 


.     i 


\ 


180 


TIIL    AM  /A7 7i'  0 O F  IN  VENTION. 


jjjo  into  pjirtiu'r.shii)  with  him,  uiiIohs  he  would  engage 
to  i)ay  proper  wtiges." 

"  Well,"  HJiid  Klsie,  smiling,  ''  I  ciin't  stay  to  argue 
the  matter  now.  I  niUHt  Hay  I  think  you  are  quite  as 
obstinate  as  father  himself,  and  a  little  wrongheaded 
into  the  bargain  ;  but  you  nuist  manage  your  owu 
affairs.     1  supixjse  we  shall  see  you  at  lunch?" 

'"I  don't  think  so,"  said  Arthur;  "I  will  get  my 
lunch  in  town." 

"  Well,  good  morning  then  ; "  and  Elsie  walked 
briskly  away,  looking  exeeptiontdly  bright  and  fresh 
in  a  si'nple  but  tasteful  costume  she  had  brought  from 
Paris. 

Arthur  looked  after  her  a  moment,  then,  turning 
down  a  (piiet  side  street,  went  into  a  clean,  old-fash- 
ioned little  inn  rejoicing  in  the  name  of  "The  Pea- 
cock," where  he  ordered  lunch  and  asked  for  pen  and 
ink.  lie  intended  to  write  to  Mr.  Norbury,  but  it  was 
no  easy  matter  to  decide  what  to  say.  AVheu  he  left 
the  oiTice  th.it  morning  he  had  fully  expected  that  his 
uncle  would  apologize  and  humbly  request  him  to  return  ; 
and  that  perluqjs  something  might  then  be  done  to 
avert  the  contemplated  reduction  of  wages.  His  con- 
versation with  Klsie,  however,  had  given  rise  to  painful 
doubts  as  to  the  probability  of  Mr.  Norbury's  acting 
according  to  this  program.  And  another  doubt,  which 
had   really  been   taking   shape  iu  his  miud  for  some 


AiiTjjuirs  snoKS. 


181 


fagc 


ray 


weeks,  started  into  8tnni<jj  relii'l".  It  was  ii()tliiii<j;  less 
than  tins:  was  the  prize  for  wiiich  he  had  been  woik- 
in<j;  all  tliese  months  worth  the  cost?  All  his  life  he 
had  luul  dreanjs,  more  or  lesH  dislinel,  of  a  very 
dilTerent  prize  ;  and  his  small  suceesses  in  writing  had 
been  sullicient  to  reUlndle  his  literary  ambition.  Be- 
sides, his  position  wonld  be  scarcely  less  dependent  as 
a  junior  partner  than  it  was  tit  picsent,  while  the 
responsibilities  would  be  heavier.  Nothinji,  he  de- 
cide, d  at  lasl,  would  now  induce  him  to  l)ecome  a 
j»artner,  and  then  he  thoujiht  with  some  amusement  of 
what  Mr.  Norbury  would  think  of  his  refusing  the 
partnership  before  it  was  otTered  him.  Perhaps  he 
was  going  a  little  too  fast.  However,  a  letter  had  to 
be  written,  formally  resigning  his  situation  on  the 
ground  (jf  his  disapproval  of  his  uncle's  system  of  doing 
business.  When  this  compositi  vas  concluded  he 
was  struck  with  its  rather  griindilo(pient  tone  ;  it  co.uld 
hardly  have  been  more  stately  if  he  had  been  a  member 
of  the  cabinet  who  had  had  a  difTcreuce  with  his  col- 
leagues, but  not  seeing  well  how  to  improve  it  without 
being  too  curt,  he  sent  it  to  the  onice  by  a  snudl  boy 
belonging  to  the  house. 

Mr.  Norbury 's  horror  on  receiving  it  may  be  more 
readily  imagined  than  described,  but  after  he  had 
"  slept  on  it"  he  magnanimously  decided  to  give  his 
nephew  one  more  chance.     Accordingly  he  sent  him  a 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  ST?EET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

(716)872-4503 


182 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION, 


!ii<^ssage  desiring  him  to  come  up  to  dinner  as  usual, 
and  after  a  little  hesitation  Arthur  complied. 

The  meal  was  uncomfortable  in  spite  of  Elsie's 
efforts  to  keep  up  the  conversation,  and  the  evening 
that  followed  was  positively  disagreeable,  though  Mr. 
Norbury,  with  praiseworthy  self-connnand,  refrained 
from  his  strongest  expressions  of  disapproval.  He 
only  once  went  the  length  of  calling  his  nephew  "  a 
young  fool "  in  plain  terms,  though  he  several  times 
delicately  hinted  his  opinion  of  him,  and  he  never  raised 
his  voice  loud  enough  to  be  distinctly  heard  in  the 
street,  though  P^lsie  in  the  drawing  room  and  the  ser- 
vants in  the  kitchen  had  a  pretty  good  idea  of  the  drift 
of  his  remarks.  Arthur  not  onlv  refused  to  return 
to  his  old  position,  but  took  the  opportunity  of  stating 
very  clearly  his  opinions  concerning  tiie  wage  question. 

"  Humph !  "  said  his  uncle  contemptuously,  "  I  hear 
that  you  have  been  making  quite  a  good  thing  of  our 
iniquities  in  Wharton  here.  You  philanthropists  are 
not  much  better  than  the  rest  of  us  after  all  —  you  're 
ready  enough  to  look  after  yourselves,  however  the 
wheel  turns." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Uncle  Norbury?  " 

Mr.  Norbury  flung  down  on  the  table  before  him  a 
copy  of  The  Wharton  Adviser  containing  Lester's 
last  paper.  "  I  suppose  you  '11  tell  me  next  that  you 
didn't  write  that?" 


ABTHUIi'S  SHOES. 


183 


,^ 


*'  I  did  write  it,  but  I  sent  it  to  The  Onlooker,  not 
to  The  Adviser." 

' '  And  you  had  the  impudence  to  describe  my 
people  as  ground  down  and  starving?  It  is  not  true, 
Arthur." 

"  I  gave  no  names,  Uncle  James.  If  it  is  not 
true,  why  call  the  people  yours?" 

"  It  is  useless  to  pretend  you  did  not  mean  it  for 
me." 

"  I  meant  it  for  you  no  more  than  for  several 
others ;  besides,  even  the  name  Wharton  is  not  men- 
tioned. Surely  '  a  small  manufacturing  town  in  the 
north  of  England  '  is  a  very  general  description,  too 
general  to  bo  easily  recognized ;  in  fact,  two  or  three 
other  places  have  promptly  '  put  on  the  cap.'  " 

"That  is  all  nonsense,  Arthur.  Dr.  Thay  told  me 
this  morning  that  everybody  in  Wharton  is  talking 
about  it." 

"  Indeed  !  I  have  not  heard  of  it,"  replied  Arthur 
dryly.  "  I  do  not  know  how  the  Wharton  paper  came 
to  reprint  it." 

Dr.  Thay  had  been  up  at  noon  to  congratulate  Mr. 
Norbury  on  his  safe  return,  and  had  then  mentioned 
his  nephew's  excellent  article  in  Tlie  Adviser,  saying 
how  much  pleased  all  his  friends  must  be.  Mr.  Nor- 
bury had  read  it  at  lunch-time,  and  Arthur  wished  that 
the  editor  had  not  gone  out  of  his  way  to  do  him  thio 


lifl 


J. 


'  -; 


184 


THE  lUilNPnOOF  INVENTION. 


1 


\.i 


I 


perilous  honor.  He  did  not  wonder  tliat  his  uncle 
resented  it,  for  on  glancing"  at  the  paper  a<2;ain  he 
could  see  that  he  had  unintentionally  given  it  a 
stronger  local  coloring  than  lie  had  fancied,  though 
not  a  tithe  of  the  facts  were  actually  drawn  from  his 
knowledge  of  Norburv  Mills. 

''Iluniph!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Norbury  again,  "you 
expect  me  to  believe  that  you  don't  care  anything 
about  notoriety  ;  that  your  only  ol)ject  is  to  right  the 
poor  oppressed  people  who  do  my  work,  and  are 
always  trymg  to  grasp  all  the  profits?  I  wonder  why 
you  signed  your  name  to  it,  though." 

"I  did  not  sign  the  article  at  first;  then  people 
complained  that  such  a  paper  ought  not  to  be  anony- 
mous, and  within  the  last  few  days  I  gave  the  editor 
of  The  Onlooker  leave  to  use  my  ntime,  if  he  thought 
fit.  I  suppose  that  is  why  the  Wharton  paper  has 
rep'inted  parts  of  it." 

"Oh,  I  dare  say,  and  puffed  it,  too,"  replied  the 
manufacturer  with  a  sneer.  "  '  Our  clever  voung  fellow 
townsman,'  indeed  !    It's  a  disgraceful  libel,  I  call  it." 

"  Well,  sir,  call  it  what  you  like,  and  contradict  it 
if  you  think  it  advisal)le.  If  you  will  excuse  me,  1 
will  go  to  put  up  my  things." 

A  short  interval  of  reflection  made  Lester  regret 
that  he  had  spoken  so  strongly,  and  he  began  to 
wonder  whether  he  had  really  acted  ungenerously  in 


AliTHURS  IS  HOES. 


185 


showing  up  tbc  heartless  selfishness  of  a  certain  class 
of  manufacturers  ;  but  every  word  was  true,  and  the 
work  people  sorely  needed  a  champion.  Perhaps  it 
was  well  that  he  was  committed  to  the  battle,  for 
to-night  he  felt  lonely  and  a  little  doubtful  whether  he 
had  done  well  or  ill.  After  all,  even  his  uncle  had 
been  kind  to  him,  and  he  wished  their  parting  could 
have  been  more  friendly.  Presently  he  began  to 
wonder  whether  his  sudden  departure  would  incon- 
venience Mr.  Norbury,  and  after  a  minute  or  two  he 
went  down  to  offer  to  stay  for  a  while  if  he  wished. 

He  was  very  decided,  however,  that  the  sooner  Les- 
ter departed  the  better  he  would  be  pleased,  so  nothing 
remained  but  to  bid  his  aunt  and  cousin  farewell. 
Elsie  told  him  that  he  was  "  quixotic  "  and  would 
certainly  live  to  repent  of  that  day's  work,  but  she 
was  as  friendly  as  she  could  be,  and  poor  Mrs. 
Norbury  looked  ready  to  shed  tears. 

Early  in  the  morning  he  went  to  get  some  books 
and  papers  that  he  had  left  at  the  ofllce.  Now  it 
chanced  that  Bob  Littleton,  intending  to  ask  permis- 
sion to  leave  his  work  before  the  usual  time,  had 
come  exceptionally  early  to  propitiate  the  authorities. 
But  his  doing  so  was  a  work  of  supererogation, 
for  as  everything  was  locked  up,  he  could  not 
begin  until  some  one  came  with  the  keys.  He  was 
already  tired   of  his  own   company,  and   was  going 


186 


THE   UAINFIiOOF  INVENTION. 


M 


fiii-    V. 


through  some  extraordinary  acrobatic  performances, 
with  the  assistance  of  his  high  stool.  At  last,  after 
he  had  balanced  it  on  each  of  its  four  legs  in  succes- 
sion, and  had  discovered  the  natural  result  >f  such 
unnatural  proceedings  by  its  suddenly  overbalancing 
with  him  on  the  top  of  it,  he  desisted  from  his  efforts 
to  overconie  or  circumvent  the  law  of  gravitation,  and 
began  to  practice  tlie  F'arrayard  Song  with  all  his 
might.  But  as  the  door  handle  rattled,  he  stopped 
in  the  midst  of  a  quack,  fearful  lest  his  dreaded 
master  should  surprise  him  in  his  enjoyment. 

"Hallo!  it's  you,  Lester,  is  it?"  he  said  with  a 
sigh  of  relief.     "  So  you're  not  gone  off,  after  all." 

"  Not  gone,  but  going  this  morning." 

"  Then  you  can't  make  it  up?  What  is  the  matter, 
Arthur?  But  there!  ray  blessed  mother  always  used 
to  tell  me  not  to  ask  questions  that  did  n't  concern 
me,  {.nd  'pon  my  word  !  I  sometimes  wish  she  was  at 
my  elbow  to  make  me  mind  my  manners  now." 

"  My  uncle  was  angry  about  my  management  of 
affairs,  and  he  won't  listen  to  my  advice  (only,  don't 
talk  about  it.  Bob) .  He  intends  to  lower  the  wages 
all  round  and  dismiss  several  of  the  hands,  and  I 
don't  think  he  ought  to  do  it." 

"  The  old  skinflint !  I  wish  he  'd  come  to  our  next 
I.  I.  A.  concert.  He  would  see  then  how  short  they 
are,  as  it  is.     So,  that's  why  you  're  going,  is  it?  " 


ARTHUR'S  SHOES. 


187 


nces, 
after 
icces- 
snch 
ncing 
flforts 
,  aud 
II  his 
::)pped 
eaded 


"Partly,"  said  Arthur;  "and  we  both  got  pretty 
hot,  I  suppose.  Then,  to  make  matters  worse,  he 
stumbled  on  some  extracts  from  that  article  of  mine 
in  The  Adviser.  How  it  came  to  be  in  it  I  don't 
know,  but  he  seemed  to  think  I  wrote  it  purposely  to 
annoy  him.  I  have  a  good  mind  to  ask  the  editor 
how  he  happened  to  put  it  in." 

Bob  looked  conscience-stricken.  "You  don't  need 
to  ask  him,  Lester,  it's  my  doing.  When  I  was  in  the 
reading  room  the  other  day  I  took  up  The  Onlooker, 
and  the  first  thing  I  saw  in  it  was  your  name.  The 
editor  was  explaining  that  he  was  authorized  to  state 
that  you  had  written  something  or  other,  and  he 
referred  to  a  back  number  of  the  paper.  As  I  'd 
nothing  better  to  do,  I  looked  it  up,  and  you  gave  the 
masters  such  good  hard  knocks  that  I  was  ready  to 
dance  to  think  how  mad  they  'd  be  ;  then  I  made  bold 
to  borrow  the  paper  and  took  it  in  to  show  it  to  the 
editor  of  The  Adviser,  and  he  printed  it.  He  *s  a 
sort  of  chum  of  mine,  but  he  said  it  was  the  best 
thing  he  had  read  on  wages  for  years." 

"Well,  Bob,  you  have  got  me  into  hot  water  with 
these  Wharton  people,"  said  Lester.  "  1  don't  believe 
my  uncle  will  ever  forgive  me.  You  had  better  keep 
quiet  about  your  share  in  the  matter." 

' '  Trust  me  for  that.  And  do  you  mean  to  say 
you  're  really  going  ?  " 


I    1 


I 


188 


TIIK  RAIWnOOF  INVENTION. 


"  I  wish  1  was,  too.  What  docs  Miss  Norbury 
think  of  it?" 

"  She  advised  mc  to  try  to  make  it  up." 

"Of  course  she  wouhl." 

Arthur  smiled  at  Rob's  tone  of  quiet  conviction, 
and  said,  "  Tiiat  was  l)eforc  we  had  the  second  part  of 
our  quarrel.     I  met  her  when  I  was  leavinii;  the  olllce." 

Bob  sighed  sentimentally  and  said,  "You're  a 
lucky  fellow,  Lester." 

"  I  don't  think  so." 

"It's  no  use  to  pretend  to  misunderstand  me. 
You  know  half  a  dozen  fellows  would  give  their  cars 
to  be  in  your  shoes." 

"As  yet,  I  am  quite  ignorant  as  to  what  kind  of 
shoes  I  possess,  or  whether  indeed  I  nhall  not  be 
obliged  to  go  barefoot.  I  intend  to  try  to  get  some 
work  on  a  paper,  but  I  doubt  whether  I  shall  have 
much  chance." 

"Of  course  you  will,  you'll  be  rich  and  famous  in 
no  time,  and  then  your  reverend  uncle  will  give  you  his 
blessing,  and  you  'U  both  be  happy  ever  tif  ter,  like  the 
people  in  the  fairy  tales.'* 

Now,  strange  to  say,  until  this  moment  it  had  never 
dawned  on  Arthur  what  his  friend  was  driving  at,  but 
as  Bob  ran  on  at  his  usual  rate  his  enlightenment  was 
rapid. 


AUT null's  SHOES. 


189 


u 


It  seeiiiH  to  WW.  it's  ratl'iT  iiddiii^  iiirtiilt  to  injury  to 
prctcixl  yomlon't  iin<l(Msliiiul.  Of  c'oiir.se  I  ini^lit  lisive 
known  I  M  nuver  have  tiiii  <j;liost  of  u  cliance  ;  still,  till 
yon  came  \  used  to  (.'lierisli  a  kind  of  hope."  Bob 
spoke  regretfully,  for  at  times  he  really  persuadt'il 
himself  that  In-  had  suffered  cruelly  under  Klsie's 
enchantments. 

"  It  seems  to  me,  Bol),  you  are  under  some  strange 
delusion.  If  it  is  any  comfort  to  you,  you  may 
go  on  cherishing  your  hopes  as  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, though  of  course  I  cannot  answer  for  my 
cousin." 

Bob  was  amazed  at  this  piece  of  news.  "Why, 
every  one  says  you  are  engaged !  Is  u't  it  true, 
then?" 

"  No,"  said  Lester  quietly,  "  and  never  will  be." 
"  I  thought  }  ou  admired  her,"  gasped  Bob.     "  Why, 
that's  the  reason  Warrington  hates  you  so." 
"I  did  not  know  he  did  '  hate  me  so.' " 
"  Well,    excuse   me   for    saying   so,    but    you    are 
simple !     He  hates  you   like  poison,  for   that   reason 
and  no  other." 

"  Then  he  may  stop  hating  me  as  soon  as  he  likes. 
I  can  wish  him  happiness,  or  you  either,  without  feel- 
ing that  it  demands  much  heroism.  AVhen  did  this 
precious  story  first  begin  its  travels?" 

*'  Soon  after  you  came,  I  think.     I  know  I  heard 


190 


lilhJ   h'AJXrii'OOF  IXVENTIO.V. 


Ah  I 


H()inetliiii<^  jiboiit  it  the  day  of  the  Norburys'  grand 
'At  Home.'" 

"  I  only  wislj  yon  had  toUl  mo  l)cf(n'e,"  .said  Lester, 
wondering  wljetluM*  Mand  hud  believed  the  story  too, 
and  ahnost  resolving  to  ask  her  if  it  was  on  account 
of  Elsie  tiiat  she  had  broken  oft'  theii*  engagement. 

Bob  watched  his  face  with  interest,  wondering  what 
he  was  thinking  of.  Jnst  then  they  saw  Mr.  Milwood 
coming  down  the  street,  and  Arthur  said  hastily,  "  I 
have  changed  my  mind  ;  I  won't  go  up  to  London  till 
to-morrow.  Couldn't  you  call  in  at  'The  Peacock* 
sometime  this  evening?" 

"  I  '11  try,"  said  Bob.  "  In  fact,  you  may  look  for 
me  about  eight." 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


If.ATIIKU    TOO    FRIHNDLY. 


WHEN  Lester  left  the  otlice  lie  wa.s  resolved  to 
S(!e  Miiiid  before  he  went  away,  but  on  inaturer 
reileetiou  he  became  doubtful  of  the  wisdom  of  tryin«» 
to  do  so.  In  the  first  moments  of  astonisliment  at 
Bob's  suggestion  he  had  forgotten  Hugh  Milwood  ;  but 
if  Maud  had  ever  cared  for  him  there  was  no  reason 
she  should  not  care  for  him  still.  Besides,  his  own 
prospects  v/ere  now  so  uncertain  that  it  would  be 
scarcely  generous  to  choose  such  a  time  to  ask  her  to 
share  his  fate,  even  if  she  were  free.  Nevertheless 
he  wandered  up  the  road  towards  Briar  Cottage,  and 
passed  and  repassed  it,  longing  to  go  in,  but  judging  it 
wiser  to  stay  outside.  However,  he  lingered  so  long 
in  the  neighborhood  of  temptation  that  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  it  overtook  him  at  last.  As  he  passed 
the  gate  for  the  fourth  time  he  met  Maud  face  to 
face.  She  looked  st  aight  at  him  and  was  passing 
on  without  a  word,  w.ien  Arthur  began  impulsively, 
"  I  am  going  away,  Maud.     Will  you  not  forgive  me 


now 


*  Then  it  is  true  that  you  wrote  that  paper,"  said 

191 


r.    I 


192 


THE  RAINVROOF  INVKSTIO^f. 


■\ 


Maud  lijistily.  ''  I  cijiild  not  belicvr  thut  you  would 
have  wriltcMi  it." 

"Why,  Maud?" 

"  It  was  so  unfair,  so  inif^cnorous  ! " 

"  Ask  Mr.  Milwood  if  it  is  u't  truo  !  " 

"  Oil,  I  daio  sav  it  is  trui',  hut  it  soeins  to  me  ti  kintl 
of  troaohcrous  thing  for  you  lo  write  it,  living  at  his 
houso  too." 

"Indeed,  you  don't  understand,  Maud,"  began 
Arthur  eagerly.  "  l^iople  will  talk  as  if  I  have  de- 
liberately held  up  my  uncle  to  contempt.  I  suppose 
perhaps  I  ought  to  have  left  his  oflice  sooner,  but  my 
conscience  is  clear  about  my  intentions  at  any  rate. 
I  never  guessed  that  any  one  would  suppose  I  referred 
to  Norbury  Mills." 

"  No  one  can  mistake  it." 

"Then  you  really  believe  that  I  would  deliberately 
do  what  you  think  treacherous?" 

"You  have  done  it  before;  but,  after  all,  what  is 
the  use  of  talking  about  it?  It  will  do  no  good  now ;" 
and  Maud,  passing  \i\in  suddenly,  opened  the  gate 
and  disappeared  into  the  house.  Arthur  stoorl  gazing 
after  her  for  a  moment,  and  then  went  slowly  on  his 
way,  con'  'need  at  last  that  nothing  could  ever  alter 
Maud's  bad  opinion  of  him. 

If  there  had  not  happened  to  be  an  interval  of  sev- 
eral hours  between  this  adventure  and  Bob's  visit,  it 


liATIU'Jli    TOO    I'lilHNDLY. 


1!)3 


is  pr()l»sil)l»!  t.liiit  tlijit  ollh'ious  little  ^cntli'mnii  iiiii^'lit 
have  re(ieivo(l  a  severe  reproof,  for  Lester  was  IiicUiumI 
at  llrst  to  lay  the  Maine  of  tl:e  inis(*liief  liis  iiiiliicky 
paper  was  doiiii^  entirely  on  him,  as  he  jiad  bl-iined 
Elsie  for  the  former  catnstrophe.  Hut  when  he  ')nee 
more  read  his  artieh;  carefully  and  critically  he  could 
not  deny  that  ai  y  one  who  knew  that  tlie  author  was 
an  inhabitant  of  Wharton  would  have  only  too  ch^ar 
an  understanding  of  some  of  the  allusions  Tie  did 
not  repent  of  his  etTorts  to  lu'lp  the  downtrodden 
work  people  nor  of  his  outspoken  i)rotests  on  their 
behalf,  but  he  certainly  fi^lt  ashamed  of  the  way  ho 
had  taken  to  assist  them.  Turn  the  matter  which  way 
he  would,  lie  could  not  help  seeing  that  IMaud's  accusa- 
tions appeared  to  be  well  founded.  It  certainly  htul 
an  ugly  look  of  treachery  to  write  scathing  strictures 
on  any  man's  method  of  doing  business  while  under 
his  own  roof,  even  though  he  was  by  no  means  the 
only  object  of  censure.  Arthur  began  to  look  on  his 
too  celebrated  paper  with  disgust  and  loathing,  and 
stirring  up  the  fire  he  pushed  the  obnoxious  docunicnt 
into  the  very  center  of  the  glowing  mass.  He  watched 
it  turn  to  ashes  with  satisfaction,  but  all  the  while  he 
had  a  most  uncomfortable  consciousness  that  it  was 
but  one  copy  destroyed  out  of  many  thousands  which 
he  now  regarded  as  so  many  witnesses  against  him, 
and  he  wished  that  he  had  had  any  other  stepping-stone 


p 


i. 


194 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


to  fortune  (or  rather  to  the  means  of  earning  a  liveli- 
hood) than  that  article.  He  heartily  disliked  the 
thought  of  asking  advice  from  the  editor  of  The  On- 
looker  on  the  ground  of  his  successful  letter,  but  he  saw 
no  other  means  of  attaining  what  he  wanted  —  some 
position  in  which  he  might  earn  his  bread  by  his  pen. 

Bob  Littleton  came  in  at  half  past  seven  instead  of 
eight,  explaining,  "I  have  been  thinking,  Arthur, 
that  you  would  perhaps  like  to  say  good  by  to  the 
fellows  at  the  I.  I.  A.  rooms.  There  is  a  good  big 
meeting  on  there  to-night  to  discuss  al)out  starting  a 
reading  union,  and  about  getting  more  books  and 
newspapers  for  the  library." 

Arthur  was  not  sorry  to  escape  from  his  own 
thoughts  or  a  long  tHe-(l-tHe  with  the  friend  whom  he 
had  so  rashly  invited,  and  he  gladly  acceded  to  his 
proposal.  To  their  surprise  the  rooms  were  full  and 
a  most  lively  discussion  was  going  on.  But  as  soon 
as  the  two  were  recognized  a  sudden  lull  occurred  and 
then  a  storm  of  cheers  and  clapping  nearly  deafened 
them,  broken  by  cries  of  "  Speech  !  speech  !  " 

For  ar  instant  Arthur  sat  still  in  utter  bewilderment, 
but  Bob  pulled  his  sleeve,  saying  with  intense  satis- 
faction, "They  know  who's  their  friend  now.  Get 
up,  Lester,  and  say  something  or  they  '11  have  the 
place  about  our  ears." 

"It's  too  bad  of  you.  Bob,  to  have  let  me  in  for 
such  a  scrape." 


BATHER    TOO  FRIENDLY. 


195 


''  'Pon  ray  honor,  I  am  as  surprised  as  you.  I  never 
told  any  one  that  we  were  coming  to-night.  All  the 
same,  I  won't  pretend  to  be  sorry  that  they  know  now 
where  you  stand." 

Suddenly  the  storm  ceased  and  a  rough,  earnest- 
looking,  middle-aged  man  rose  to  speak.  He  begar 
by  apologizing  to  Lester  for  the  way  in  which  some  of 
them  had  misjudged  him,  thinking  him  "  a  pateruizing 
kind  o'  chap  that  wanted  to  keep  in  wi'  both  masters 
and  men,"  and  then  he  added  a  few  words  of  hearty 
praise.  Lester  blushed  like  a  schoolboy  between 
pleasure  at  their  appreciation  and  shame  at  the  position 
he  was  in  with  regard  to  his  uncle. 

"  I  wish  old  Norbury  could  hear  that,"  said  Bob  as 
the  man  turned  to  address  his  companions  instead  of 
Lester,  telling  them  how  he  had  stood  up  for  them  like 
a  man,  and  was  forced  to  leave  a  good  easy  job  because 
he  would  n't  stand  by  and  see  injustice  done. 

Mr.  Norbury  had  announced  his  intention  of  reduc- 
ing the  wages,  and  putting  two  and  two  together  the 
work  people  had  pieced  out  the  story  pretty  correctly ; 
consequently  Lester  found  himself  suddenly  trans- 
formed into  a  hero  in  the  eyes  of  the  frequenters  of 
the  I.  I.  A.  meetings.  But  the  position  had  its  draw- 
backs. When  the  workman  sat  down  the  demands  on 
Lester  for  a  speech  were  more  vehement  than  ever, 
and  he  stood  up  with  his  mind  in  such  a  turmoil  that 


196 


THE  BAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


he  hardly  knew  what  he  was  saying.  The  only  idea 
that  he  could  call  his  own  at  that  moment  was  his 
desire  not  to  be  carried  away  by  the  enthusiasm  of  his 
audience,  and  to  be  fair  to  the  masters.  He  counseled 
moderation,  and  warned  them  not  to  listen  to  the  idle 
fellows  who  made  a  trade  of  agitation,  but  to  strive 
by  every  lawful  means  to  improve  tlieir  position,  and 
especially  he  laid  stress  on  the  value  of  education, 
endeavoring  to  show  them  how  great  a  power  it  wields. 
The  men  looked  a  little  doubtful  as  they  listened,  but 
when  he  added  a  few  words  of  thanks  for  their  kind- 
ness, and  expressed  his  regret  at  having  to  leave 
Wharton,  they  cheered  him  as  enthusiastically  as 
before  ;  for  though  they  were  by  no  means  sure  what 
his  words  meant,  they  knew  that  he  had  sacrificed 
something  in  his  efforts  to  get  justice  for  them. 

Bob  clapped  his  friend  on  the  back  with  uncomfort- 
able energy,  but  Arthur  was  not  satisfied  that  hi;  had 
used  this  sudden  and  undesired  opportunity  of  explain- 
ing himself  as  he  might  have  done.  Already  there 
came  crowding  into  his  mind  arguments  that  he  miglit 
have  employed  against  violent  efforts  *'  to  bring  the 
bosses  to  reason  "  that  he  had  not  thought  of  as  he 
stood  up  before  them  looking  down  into  their  rugged, 
ea<Ter  faces.  For  a  moment  he  hesitated  whether  to 
add  something  to  what  he  had  said,  but  afraid  of 
speaking  unwisely  in  his  haste,  he  acted  ou  Carlyle's 


BATHER    TOO  FRIENDLY. 


197 


favorite  but  rarely  followed  inaxirD  of  "  Silence  is 
iiokleu.*'  "  Bob,"  he  said,  "  I  think  we  had  better 
slip  out  as  soon  as  we  can,  or  I  will  at  any  rate." 
Bob  agreed,  l)ut  they  no  sooner  made  the  attempt 
than  every  one  in  the  room  crowded  about  them  to 
shake  liands  with  Arthur  and  to  wish  him  "good 
luck  "  in  London.  At  last  the  ceremony  was  over  and 
lie  was  allowed  to  depart,  followed  by  three  ringing 
cheers  that  brought  small  boys  running  from  every 
direction  to  discover  what  was  going  on.  Not  seeing 
anytliing  remarkable  in  the  appearance  of  the  two 
gentlemen,  they  fortunately  forbore  to  accompany 
thcui  on  their  way,  wiiich  attention  Arthur  was  much 
drending,  and  in  no  long  time  they  safely  gained  once 
more  the  ([uict  and  dignified  seclusion  that  reigned 
under  the  wings  of  "The  Peacock." 

liob  was  rather  disposed  to  take  a  malicious  delight 
in  his  friend's  sufferings.  Indeed,  he  pretended  to 
think  that  lie  ougiit  to  have  derived  unmixed  enjoy- 
ment from  the  events  of  the  evening,  and  he  diverted 
himself  with  the  most  far-fetched  and  wildly  improb- 
able anticipations  of  the  future  fame  and  glory  that 
awaited  his  friend.  Lester  found  his  fun  a  little  tire- 
some, but  when  at  a  late  hour  he  took  himself  off,  it 
was  with  such  warm  expressions  of  sorrow  at  parting 
that  Arthur  could  no  longer  feel  angry  at  him. 

His  troubles  were  not  yet  over  even  with  regard  to 


198 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


the  I.  I.  A.,  for,  of  course,  somebody  had  sent  a  full 
account  of  the  meeting  to  The  Adviser,  and  not  t4)i)ur- 
ently  being  clever  at  reporting  had  filled  up  several 
paragraphs  with  speeches  that  had  not  been  made. 
Arthur  could  uot  be  at  all  certain  what  he  had  said, 
but  he  was  quite  certain  that  he  had  not  said  what  was 
imputed  to  him.  He  wrote  at  once  denying  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  report,  but  he  felt  ashamed  to  meet 
his  acquaintances  and  went  to  the  station  by  lanes  and 
byways,  feeling  that  circumstances  had  been  too 
strong  for  him.  He  seemed  to  be  perpetually  getting 
in  situations  that  required  explanation  and  he  was 
tired  of  explaining. 

On  arriving  in  London  he  took  up  .his  quarters  in  a 
rather  shabby  little  hotel  not  fur  from  Fleet  Street, 
and  for  some  days  spent  his  time  answering  adver- 
tisements and  haunting  publishing  oUlces.  The  editor 
of  The  Onlooker  gave  him  the  advice  he  had  counted 
on  and  a  few  introductions,  but  Arthur  had  cherished 
a  secret  hope  that  he  might  have  some  position  to  offer 
him  in  connection  with  his  own  paper,  and  was  more 
disappointed  than  he  ought  to  have  been  that  he  made 
no  mention  of  such  a  thing.  The  introductions  were 
l)roductive  of  nothing  more  substantial  than  further 
advice,  and  his  small  savings  were  rapidly  evaporating 
with  the  expenses  of  London  life.  He  began  to  think 
that  he  would  have  to  turn  his  back  on  literature  and 


BATHER    TOO  FlilENDLY. 


199 


seek  once  more  for  a  position  in  an  office,  when  he  saw 
an  advertisement  in  The  Literary  World  for  a  young 
man  who  had  some  knowledge  of  business  and  was 
accustomed  to  writing.  Weary  of  answering  adver- 
tisements, Arthur  yet  thought  it  might  be  worth 
making  one  more  attempt,  though  the  wording  was 
so  extraordinary  that  he  felt  somewhat  prejudiced 
against  any  editor  who  could  concoct  such   a    thing. 

Applicants  were  directed  either  to  write  to  the  editor 
of  The  Commercial  Sun,  or  to  present  themselves  at 
the  office  of  that  illustrious  newspaper  some  time 
between  the  hours  of  nine  and  four.  Wishing  to 
settle  the  matter  at  once,  Arthur  chose  the  latter  alter- 
native. The  editor  was  engaged,  and  he  had  to  wait 
some  time  before  he  could  see  him.  The  shabbiness 
of  everything  —  street,  office,  and  furniture  —  did  not 
impress  him  favorably,  but  on  entering  into  conversa- 
tion with  the  solitary  clerk  who  occupied  the  room,  he 
learned  that  Tlie  Commercial  Sun  was  yet  in  its  in- 
fancy, and  was  confidently  expected  to  do  great  things 
by  and  by. 

Presently  he  was  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the 
editor,  who,  though  his  attire  was  almost  as  shabby  as 
the  place  itself,  was  refreshingly  enthusiastic  about  his 
paper.  Arthur  judged  from  the  care  with  which  he 
explained  his  plans  that  he  could  hardly  have  had 
many  applicants  for  the  vacant  position.     The  Com- 


i 


200 


THE  RAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


v-i   1 


mercial  Sun  was  designed,  as  papers  often  are,  "  to 
fill  a  long-felt  want."  All  trades  in  turn  were  to  be 
supplied  with  the  items  of  news  most  important  to 
them,  and  sjjecial  attention  was  to  be  given  to  sugges- 
tions for  the  benefit  of  the  young  and  inexperienced 
business  man.  These  departments  and  many  others 
were  under  the  management  of  the  editor  himself,  who 

• 

talked  as  if  he  knew  everything  about  business,  but 
looked  as  if  he  had  scarcely  reaped  the  advantages 
that  might  have  been  expected  from  his  familiarity 
with  that  great  subject.  Lester  wondered  what  por- 
tion of  the  field  remained  yet  unoccupied,  but  the 
editor  reserved  the  task  of  enlightening  him  on  that 
point  until  the  prospects  of  and  needs  for  such  a 
magazine  of  commercial  knowledge  had  been  pretty 
fully  discussed.  To  crown  all,  he  had  engaged,  in  the 
magnificent  prospectus  that  heralded  the  appearance 
of  the  new  luminary,  that  in  each  number  of  The 
Commercial  Sun  should  be  an  article  on  the  develop- 
ment of  a  certain  trade  from  its  first  embryonic 
appearance  in  history  to  its  full  grown  state  in  the 
present  day.  For  reasons  which  he  did  not  state  the 
editor  did  not  care  to  write  these  histories  himself, 
but  he  apparently  counted  much  upon  this  idea  for 
raising  the  standard  of  the  paper,  as  considered  in  a 
literary  rather  than  a  commercial  light,  and  he  became 
quite  eloquent  on   the   scope  it  afforded   for  elegant 


', 


EATHEIi    TOO   FlilENDLY. 


201 


writing  and  ori<j;inal  research.  That  it  might  afford 
scope  for  the  hitter  Lester  could  very  readily  believe, 
but  being  by  this  time  somewhat  discouraged  with 
his  former  experiences  of  editors  and  publishers,  he 
agreed  to  make  trial  of  the  position  at  a  stipend  that 
by  extreme  economy  might  provide  him  with  board 
and  lodging. 

The  trade  of  the  cabinet-maker,  historically  consid- 
ered, was  given  him  as  his  first  subject.  He  engaged 
to  have  it  ready  for  the  printer  in  a  fortnight.  For 
the  convenience  of  his  researches  he  took  up  his  abode 
near  the  British  Museum,  as  he  was  determined  not  to 
spare  his  labor.  Beginning  with  this  virtuous  resolve, 
he  soon  became  interested  as  he  pursued  the  modern 
chair  and  table  back  to  their  primordial  forms  through 
a  long  line  of  ancestry  more  or  less  grotesquely  fore- 
shadowing their  higiily  developed  modern  representa- 
tives. But  not  satisfied  \Vith  this,  he  also  entered  on  an 
exhaustive  inquiry  into  their  geographical  distribution, 
which  brought  to  light  many  curious  facts  about  the 
habits  of  their  makers  and  users.  Altogether  he  became 
so  much  interested  in  furniture  himself,  that  he  began 
to  think  the  editor  of  The  Sun  had  not  been  far  wrong 
in  hoping  to  make  a  brilliant  success  of  his  history  of 
trades  ;  and  he  already  revolved  in  his  mind  ideas  for 
several  other  articles  of  a  like  nature.  His  editor  was 
much   pleased   with   his    enthusiasm,   and    expressed 


i! 


202 


THE  BAINriiOOF  INVENTION. 


unqualified  fipproval  of  his  essay,  so  that  in  a  small 
way  things  had  turned  out  better  than  he  had  feared, 
and  he  could  afford  now  to  wait  for  something  "to 
turn  up,"  ISIeanwhile  he  was  devoting  all  the  time 
he  could  spare  from  his  trades  and  tools  to  writing 
another  paper  for  the  editor  of  The  Onlooker. 

At  this  time  he  lived  an  odd  monkish  life,  spendinj.'; 
the  greater  part  of  the  day  in  some  quiet  library 
among  the  dustiest  of  old  books.  He  could  not 
afford  to  spend  money  in  any  expensive  recreation,  so 
he  indulged  chiefly  in  lonely  Dickens-like  wanderings 
about  the  streets,  exploring  all  the  odd  corners  of 
London,  though  sometimes,  for  a  change,  he  paid  a 
visit  to  the  People's  Palace  or  Toynhee  Hall,  li<;[)ing 
to  glean  an  idea  or  two  for  use  in  the  Wharton  I.  I. 
A.,  and  faithfully  writing  full  accounts  to  Bob  of 
anything  that  seemed  likely  to  be  of  benefit  to  that 
noble  institution. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


DISGIIACED. 


MOTHER,"  sjild  Ralph,  coniiug  in  one  evening 
and,  to  liis  great  relief,  finding  her  alone,  ''  I 
want  to  talk  to  you." 

Mrs.  Warrington  laid  down  her  book  and  waited 
with  some  anxiety  for  her  son  to  speak.  But  he  only 
walked  restlessly  up  and  down  the  room,  and  at  last 
she  asked  gently,  ''Is  it  about  Miss  Norbury?" 

"No,  mother,  it  isn't.  She  is  just  the  same  as 
usual.  I  don't  know  what  to  make  of  her.  Last 
night  she  hardly  spoke  to  me." 

"  Why  do  you  "^o,  Ralph?  I  wonder  you  have  not 
pride  enough  to  prevent  your  letting  an  upstart  girl  like 
that  play  with  you  as  she  chooses." 

Ralph's  cheeks  flushed.  "I  have  said  all  that  to 
myself  often  enough,  but  it  is  of  no  use  ;  go  I  shall, 
I  suppose,  till  something  happens  either  to  her  or  to 
me.  Sometimes  I  hardly  know  whether  I  hate  her  or 
love  her." 

"  I  have  thought  lately,  Ralph,  that  it  might  be  well 
for  you  to  try  to  get  a  new  situation  in  some  other 

203 


I  i; 


I'  '^ 


201 


THE  liAINPUOOF  INVENTION. 


place.  You  will  never  be  happy  here,  iiud  Maud  and 
I  are  ready  to  go  if  you  would  like." 

''  Does  Maud  say  so?  " 

"  Yes  ;  she  says  it  does  n't  matter  where  she  goes."' 

''Well,  mother,  I'll  think  about  it.  I  don't  see 
how  it  can  be  managed  yet."  All  this  while  he  evi- 
dently wished  to  say  something  of  which  he  didn't 
like  to  speak.  "Mother,"  he  said  at  last,  "has 
your  money  come  in  yet?" 

"  Yes  ;  I  got  the  chock  yesterday." 

"  Well,  could  you  lend  me  twenty  pounds  for  a  day 
or  two  ?  X  fellow  borrowed  some  from  me ;  he  has 
promised  to  pay  me  this  week,  and  I  am  almost  obliged 
to  have  the  ujoney." 

"  The  rent  is  owing,  Ralph,  and  I  have  n't  paid  the 
grocer  or  the  butcher  yet.  Could  n't  you  possibly 
manage  without  it?"  asked  Mrs.  Warrington  trem- 
ulously. 

"  It  would  almost  ruin  me,  mother.  Those  fellows 
can  wait." 

"  Are  you  sure  you  can  give  it  me  back  this 
week?" 

"  Sure,  mother." 

"  Still,  I  wish  you  could  manage.  I  hate  to  let  bills 
run  on  in  that  way.  What  do  you  want  it  for, 
Ralph?" 

"  1  have  some  bills  to  pa;  of  my  own,"  he  answered 


DISGBACED. 


206 


and 


see 


i 


with  a  frown.  "  Surely  u  uitin  of  my  age  doea  not 
need  to  account  for  every  trifle  he  spends." 

"Well,  Ralph,  you  shall  have  it." 

But  it  was  with  great  niisgivingH  that  she  went  to  get 
it  for  him,  for  lately  he  had  broken  promises  too  often 
for  her  to  be  able  to  trust  implicitly  to  his  word. 

The  week  passed,  ]>ut  the  borrowed  money  was  not 
lepaid,  and  Ralph  would  only  repeat  his  promise  to 
pay  it  as  soon  as  he  got  some  money.  His  salary  was 
due  in  about  a  fortnight,  but  when  the  day  came  IVIrs. 
Warrington  was  dismayed  to  hear  him  say  he  would 
not  be  in  to  tea.  She  knew  very  well  what  that 
.neant,  and  she  nerved  herself  to  remonstrate. 
"  Ralph,"  she  said,  "if  you  have  the  least  love  left 
for  me,  come  straight  home  to-night.  You  must 
expect  to  fall  if  you  will  run  into  temptation.  You 
will  ruin  yourself.  Mr.  Norbury  must  have  heard 
something  by  this  time,  and  if  you  lose  your  situation 
I  don't  know  what  we  shall  do." 

"What  do  you  mean,  mother?  Surely  my  saying 
that  I  am  going  out  to  dinner  is  no  reason  for  all 
this." 

"It  is  a  reason,  you  know  very  well.  Last  time 
you  went  out  you  know  how  you  came  home." 

"  Mother,  you  never  let  me  hear  the  last  of  a  thing. 
You  are  worse  than  Maud  ;  she  can  hold  her  tongue, 
even  if  she  has  a  bad  temper." 


206 


THE  ItAlNPliOOF  INVENTION. 


'*  I  have  held  my  tongue  loo  well,  Ralph.  I  know  I 
spoilt  you  as  a  child.  \  Hhall  never,  never  forgive 
myself  if  you  go  wrong." 

Uul])h  made  no  answer,  but  hastily  threw  open  the 
door  and  walked  out  with  his  head  erect  and  his 
shoulders  straight.  Ills  mother  looked  after  him,  sick 
at  heart.  How  could  sho  save  him  from  sinking  into 
the  loathsome  pit  he  was  digging  for  himself?  Alas, 
she  could  do  nothing.;  argument  and  persuasion  alike 
bad  failed,  and  she  sank  back  in  her  chair  in  a  passion 
of  weeping  and  self-accusation.  She  had  let  lier 
handsome,  self-willed  boy  tyraimize  over  every  one  in 
the  house  from  his  infancy,  and  now  she  could  do 
nothing  wit!i  him. 

But  she  could  still  pray  for  him,  and  when  Maud 
came  to  look  for  her  she  was  kneeling  by  her  bed, 
calm  and  peaceful.  "We  shall  save  him  yet,  Maud," 
she  murmured;  "God  loves  him,  too,  better  even 
than  I  do." 

Maud  kissed  her  gently,  and  they  went  downstairs 
together. 

"Mother,"  said  the  girl  suddenly,  "I  have  been 
thinking  lately  that  we  had  better  let  IMattie  go.  I 
can  do  the  work  easily  enough,  and  she  costs  a  good 
deal  altogether.  Besides" —  But  on  second  thoughts 
she  did  not  add  her  strongest  argument,  that  it  was 
better   there   should   be    no   one    to    see    Ralph    l)nt 


DLSaiiACED. 


207 


ive 


tliiMHSclvcs.  MrH.  Wiirrinj^tou  acqiii».3C0(l  gliullv,  and 
Miittic  recoivod  notice  that  m()rniii«^. 

l)iiriii|^  the  loiij^  hours  of  thirt  (In^iry  day  ft  proscnti- 
inciit  of  (!oinni{^  evil  himg  darkly  over  tho  hoimc. 
MiH.  Wan iii<;toi(  hardly  .spoke ;  ar»d  thoii<i;h  Maud 
tried  to  throw  olT  lier  forebodings  and  be  clieerful  and 
natin'al,  the  elTort  was  a  faihu'e.  She  felt  that  every- 
thing was  against  them.  Ralph  was  falling  lower 
every  day,  and  they  wert?  becoming  grievously  in- 
volved with  money  dilliculties.  The  tradesmen  were 
pressing  to  be  i)aid,  but  till  Ralph  gave  back  the  sum 
he  had  borrowed  and  lu'lped  as  he  used  to  do,  there 
was  no  way  of  meeting  their  claims. 

All  through  that  night  Mrs.  Warrington  knelt  at  her 
prayers,  and  in  the  gray  light  of  morning  Ralph  came 
home,  staggering  and  cursing.  At  the  sound  of  his 
noisy  entrance  Maud  ran  downstairs,  fearing  to  leave 
her  mother  alone  more  than  to  face  the  maddened 
man,  who  now  so  often  fell  into  furious  and  causeless 
passion.  On  this  night  he  was  worse  than  usual, 
throwing  the  furniture  about  in  his  insensate  rage, 
and  uttering  wild  curses  on  some  one  who  had 
wronged  an-l  cheated  him.  Mrs.  Warrington  trem- 
blinglv  tried  to  soothe  him,  but  Maud  watched  him 
with  a  sickening  shame  in  his  brutalitv.  She  could 
scarcely  believe  her  eyes,  for  what  had  this  maddened 
wretch  who  reeled  and  stammered  so  disgustingly  in 


I 


208 


THE  EAIN PROOF  IVVEM'lOy. 


common  with  her  stately,  courteous  broths :•  ?  Slie  could 
almost  fancy  that  some  hideous  evil  spirit  had  pos- 
sessed his  body  and  robbed  it  of  its  beauty  ;  but  the 
mother  still  saw  her  son  in  that  defiled  and  raving 
being.  With  tears  she  besought  him  to  be  (][uiet  and 
tried  to  take  him  in  her  arms  and  soothe  his  anger  ; 
but  lifting  up  his  heavy  hand  he  struck  blindly,  and 
his  mother  lay  white  and  senseless  at  his  feet. 

Maud  shrieked,  and  Ralph,  turning  his  stupid  eyes 
upon  her,  was  sobered  to  see  what  he  had  done.  He 
would  have  raised  Mrs.  Warrington  in  his  arms,  but 
Maud  pushed  him  away,  and  he  sank  down  weeping 
and  moaning  on  his  knees. 

Without  another  glance  at  him  the  girl  raised  her 
mother's  slight  figu  re  from  the  floor,  and  holding  lior 
fast  in  her  arms,  carried  her  upstairs,  laid  her  on  the 
bed  and  locked  the  door  behind  tliem.  lies'  white 
face  looked  as  still  and  peaceful  as  the  dead,  and 
Maud's  eyes  grew  dim  with  U'uvs  as  she  thought  of 
waking  her  again  to  her  cruel  sorrow.  Yet  when  she 
had  bathed  her  face  and  chafed  her  hands,  her  tears 
fell  faster  to  think  that  she  would  never  waken  more  ; 
for  in  spite  of  all  she  could  do,  IMrs.  AV^arrington 
neither  moved  ^or  seemed  to  breathe. 

Fearing  to  leave  her,  yet  fearing  more  lest  she 
should  be  wasting  precious  time  and  throwing  away 
her  last  chances  of   life,  Maud  was  about  to  unlock 


DISGRACED. 


209 


the  door  and  send  Ma;;tie  for  the  doctor,  when  some 
one  tapped  at  it  very  gently. 

"  Maud,"  whispered  Ralph,  for  it  was  lie,  "  how  is 
she?"  Even  his  agonized  tones  did  not  soften  her  at 
that  moment. 

"  She  will  die,  if  she  is  not  dead,"  she  answered  in 
a  low,  harsh  voice,  as  she  unfastened  the  door. 

"O  Maud,  Maud,  is  there  no  hope.'"'  wailed  the 
wretched  man.     "  Have  I  killed  her?" 

"  Hush,"  said  Maud,  "you  must  go  down.  I  am 
going  to  send  Mattie  for  the  doctor  ;  "  and  as  she  spoke 
she  locked  the  door  and  put  the  key  in  her  pocket. 

Ralph  was  sober  enough  now  to  be  cut  to  the  heart 
by  this  action.  "  Let  me  see  her,  Maud,"  he  en- 
treated, "just  one  look!" 

Maud  shook  her  head.  "We  have  no  time  to  waste. 
It  may  be  too  late  now." 

"  I  will  go  for  the  doctor,  Maud.  1  can  be  quicker 
than  Mattie  ;  "  and  with  a  gleam  of  hope  in  his  miser- 
able face  Ralph  hurried  downstairs,  caught  up  his  hat, 
and  was  gone  before  she  could  say  "  Yes"  or  "  No." 

In  a  short  time  he  was  back  with  Dr.  Thay,  and 
Mrs.  Warrington  was  soon  restored  to  consciousness, 
though  happily  for  her  she  had  no  clear  remembrance 
of  what  had  happened.  Maud  would  have  kept  Ralph 
away,  but  his  mother  clung  to  him  piteously  witli  some 
dim  sense  of  evil  impending  over  him,  and  she  would 


210 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


not  let  him  go.  It  fretted  Maud  to  see  her  as  of  old 
resting  all  her  happiness  on  her  undutiful,  careless 
son,  and  in  the  bitter  pain  of  being  set  aside  for  one 
so  utterly  unworthy  she  burst  into  a  passion  of  tears, 
and  was  forced  to  hide  both  her  sorrow  and  her  jeal- 
ousy in  her  own  little  chamber.  But  as  she  lay  sob- 
bing on  her  bed  she  came  slowly  to  a  better  mind,  and 
prayed  earnestly  to  be  made  willing  to  give  up  all  if 
need  be  without  seeking  a  return  in  love  and  gratitude. 
It  was  hard  to  forgive  Ralph  for  his  sin,  and  almost  as 
hard  to  forgive  him  for  having  won  her  mother's  deeper 
love,  but  in  the  gray  hour  of  dawn  Maud  fought  her 
battle  and  won  her  victory. 

The  light  was  still  cold  and  gray  when  she  went 
back  to  her  mother's  room  and  found  the  pair  hand  in 
hand,  but  both  asleep  with  their  heads  resting  on  one 
pillow.  Her  mother's  face  still  looked  deathlike  in  its 
pale  calmness,  buc  there  was  that  in  Ralph's  that 
grieved  her  even  more.  It  was  the  worn,  weary, 
hopeless  look  that  marked  the  slave  of  sin,  and  Maud 
shuddered  to  think  of  the  awful  way  that  must  be 
trodden  by  his  shrinking  feet,  even  if  he  then  and 
there  gave  up  the  vices  that  were  ruining  him.  The 
way  back  to  holiness  from  such  sins  as  his  leads 
through  hot  and  scorching  fires.  Would  he  have 
strength  to  tread  it  resolutely?     Who  could  tell? 

But  for  the  moment  Maud  no  longer  grudged  him 


DISGRACED. 


211 


his  mother's  tendcrest  love.  Nay,  from  that  hour 
there  spraug  up  in  her  own  heart  something  akin  to  it, 
an  aching,  yetirning  desire  for  his  redemption,  and  as 
the  two  slept  Maud  sat  beside  them,  crying  to  the  all- 
loving  Father  to  spare  his  poor,  weak,  wicked  child. 

When  tlie  time  came  to  go  to  the  ortice  Ralph  still 
slept,  and  Maud  went  i,n  his  stead  to  beg  a  holiday  for 
him,  fearing  lest  his  shaken  nerves  and  tremulous  man- 
ner should  betray  him  to  the  sharp  eyes  of  his  master. 
He  made  no  comment  but  granted  her  request,  and 
gave  her  some  directions  concerning  a  new  pattern  he 
wished  her  to  design,  for  on  Mr.  Norbury's  return  she 
had  taken  up  her  old  work  again  at  his  request. 

It  was  nearly  noon  when  she  reached  home  again, 
and  she  found  her  mother  anxious  to  get  up,  though 
very  white  and  weak.  She  could  scarcely  stand,  but 
Kalph  carried  her  downstairs  and  all  that  day  waited 
on  her  hand  and  foot,  not  talking  much  but  making 
earnest  resolutions  in  his  own  mind  to  conquer  his 
enemy.  lie  scarcely  realized  even  now  his  own  weak- 
ness, the  strength  of  the  toils  that  surrounded  him, 
and  the  frightful  roughness  of  the  backward  path. 

He  was  up  early  on  the  following  morning  and  was 
at  the  office  in  excellent  time,  determined  to  make  a 
fresh  start  in  all  respects.  But  a  terrible  humiUation 
awaited  him. 

Mr.  Norbury  was  later  than  usual,  but  as  soon  as 


212 


TIIM  EAINriiOOF  INVENTION. 


li     1 


he  arrived  he  summoned  Ralph  to  his  presence.  "I 
have  heard  very  bad  accounts  of  you  lately,  Warring- 
ton ;  in  fact  I  have  had  my  eye  on  3'ou  for  some  time," 
he  said.  "Yesterday  I  had  decided  to  dismiss  you  at 
once,  but  my  daughter  interceded  for  you,  and  I  prom- 
ised her  to  give  you  a  little  longer  trial.  I  cannot, 
however,  allow  you  to  continue  in  your  present  respon- 
sible position,  and  in  future  you  will  do  the  work 
Littleton  has  been  doing,  and  \  will  pay  you  the  same 
salary  as  I  have  been  paying  him." 

Ralph  looked  as  if  he  scaicely  understood,  though 
his  master's  tones  were  emphatic  and  distinct  enough. 
"  Will  Littleton  do  my  work,  then?  "  he  asked  mechan- 
ically. 

"  No,  Maurice  Avill  do  it.  You  may  go  now.  INIr. 
Milwood  or  Bob  Littleton  will  explain  your  duties  to 
you." 

Warrington  clutched  at  the  back  of  a  chair  near  him, 
saj'ing  hoarsely,  "  Won't  you  give  me  one  more  trial, 
sir,  before  disgracing  jue  in  this  way  ?  " 

"  1  cannot.  I  make  it  a  rule  never  to  pass  over 
such  an  offense  as  yours  ;  1  am  indeed  stretching  a 
point  not  to  dismiss  you  at  once.  I  am  sorry  to  dis- 
tress you,  JNIr.  Warrington,  but  you  have  no  one  but 
yourself  to  thank  for  it ;  and  if  all  I  hear  is  true,  you 
are  rendering  yourself  absolutely  unfit  for  a  respon- 
sible position  of  any  kind." 


DISGRACED. 


213 


"I 


(( 


Sir,  for  ray  raother's  sake  "  — 

"  If  the  story  I  have  heard  is  true,  you  should  be 
ashamed  to  speal?  of  her,  Warrington.  I  hope  it  may 
not  be." 

The  young  man's  eyes  Haslied  with  u  dangerous 
light,  but  the  thought  of  liis  injured  mother  and  of  his 
debt  to  her  kept  him  silent.  He  would  not  give  up  his 
situation  in  Norburv  Mills  till  he  had  something  else 
to  go  to,  even  if  the  disgrace  killed  him  ;  but  he  vowed 
never  \o  forgive  Mr.  Norburv  as  long  as  he  lived.  He 
felt  faint  and  dizzy,  but  groped  his  way  to  the  door 
and  passed  out  into  the  long  ottice.  His  old  seat  was 
empty,  and  his  books  arid  papers  were  all  ready  for 
him  to  begin  work,  but  he  could  not  go  there.  Bob 
was  as  busy  as  ever  in  the  place  that  was  to  be  his, 
and  he  hesitated  where  to  go  and  what  to  do.  He 
would  have  given  anything  to  be  able  to  break  his 
connection  with  the  office  altogether,  but  he  dared  not 
risk  it  yet. 

An  instant  later,  while  he  still  stood  hesitating  in 
the  middle  of  the  room,  he  heard  IMr.  Norbury  come 
out  of  the  room  behind  him  and  l)egin  to  speak.  He 
heard  his  own  name,  but  nothing  else  clearly,  for  the 
blood  seemed  to  be  rushing  through  his  head  so  fast 
that  he  could  not  listen.  But  he  could  see  the  faces  of 
his  companions  as  they  sat,  some  of  them  facing  him, 
and  he  knew  that  their  strange  stillness  was  caused  by 


p^ 

i;'    !■:  ) 

i 

h 

A 

■   i]  \ 

V  ; 

n 

Ms 

:  1 

I           1 

ii 

1 

li 


»    ! 


1    i 


l! 


214 


r/f^  nAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


the  story  of  his  disgrace.  Mr.  Norbury  took  a  long 
time  to  tell  it,  and  to  explain  the  promotions  ho  was 
making  on  the  strength  of  it,  bnt  Ralph  stood  through 
it  all  like  some  grim  statue.  At  last  it  Avas  over,  and 
he  took  Bob  Littleton's  humble  place  beside  the  door, 
with  his  brains  swimming  and  whirling,  and  sat  with 
his  head  bowed  upon  his  hands  trying  to  think  of  the 
full  meaning  of  the  dreadful  catastrophe  that  had 
overtaken  him. 

Little  work  was  done  in  the  ofllce  that  morning,  for 
Ralph's  strange,  unnatural  stillness  distracted  the  other 
clerks,  and  they  could  not  keep  their  eyes  off  him. 
He  knew  they  were  looking  at  him,  and  he  resented  it. 
but  there  was  not  one  among  them,  including  Maurice, 
who  had  profited  most  by  his  downfall,  who  would  not 
gladly  have  returned  to  his  old  position  if  Warrington 
could  have  been  reinstated.  But  Mr.  Norbury  was 
inexorable. 

When  Ralph  left  the  ofiice  at  noon  the  tongues 
which  had  l)een  tied  all  the  morning  were  loosed, 
and  a  discussion  ensued  as  to  "  how  Warrington  took 
it."  There  were  many  i)ropliecies  that  he  would  never 
be  seen  in  the  oflice  again,  out  they  were  at  fault. 
He  was  in  his  place  promptly  in  the  afternoon,  and 
even  made  some  attempt  to  attend  to  his  work. 

At  home  he  told  them  in  a  few  bitter  words  of  the 
degradation    that   had    befallen    him,  and  then  asked 


il 


DISGRACED. 


215 


iSIaiKl  the  question  tliat  liad  l)eon  liauntlng  him  all 
(lay.  "Was  this  your  doing,  INFaud?  Did  you  tell 
Rlr.  Norbury  of  what  happened  the  night  before  last?  " 

''No,  indeed  I  did  not,  Ralph." 

"  Not  about  —  mother?  " 

"  No." 

"  Well,  he  knows,  and  taunted  me  with  it  most 
coarsely." 

"  How  can  he  have  heard?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  War- 
rington. "  Oh,  my  poor  boy,  we  will  go  away,  and 
you  shall  start  fresh." 

"  That  is  what  I  want  to  do,  mother,  but  I  can't  yet. 
The  fact  is  I  am  terribly  in  debt,  and  I  cannot  leave 
Wharton  till  I  can  pay  up  something,  at  least.  I  have 
been  an  awful  fool,  and  I  suppose  I  deserve  to  suffer 
for  it,  but  I  felt  as  if  I  could  have  killed  Mr.  Norbury 
to-day.  He  has  taken  away  my  position  and  lowered 
my  salary  because  he  says  I  am  not  to  be  trusted." 

A  long  discussion  of  ways  and  means  took  place 
that  night,  and  it  was  finally  decided  that  they  should 
leave  Briar  Cottage  and  take  a  smaller  house,  and  that 
one  or  two  old  pictures  and  a  few  trinkets  belonging 
to  Mrs.  Warrington  —  the  only  valuable  possessions 
they  had  —  should  be  sold  to  try  to  raise  sufllcient  to 
pay  the  most  pressing  of  Rali)h's  debts,  in  addition 
to  those  for  household  expenses  which  lay  so  heavily 
on  Mrs.  Warrington's  mind. 


i  M 


ii  1 


I^ 


'! .;  I 


\m> 


\  i; 


I 


i    !■■ 


•  : 


21G 


THE  ItAlNPEOOF  INVENTION. 


Having  thus  nettled  a  plan  of  proceodings,  they 
went  to  bed,  all  (iiiniself  included)  hoping  much  from 
Ralph's  good  resolutions. 

He  did  not  even  now  explain  how  his  heavy  debts 
had  been  incurred,  and  neither  Mrs.  Warrington  nor 
Maud  asked  for  an  explanation.  It  was  only  too 
probable  that  he  would  not  answer,  and  they  were 
unhappily  certain  that  however  the  money  had  1  .en 
spent,   it  was  for  no  good  purpose. 

Ralph's  next  few  days  at  the  otJ'^e  cost  him  more 
than  he  ever  told  any  one,  though  he  assumed  a 
reckless  air  that  sat  ill  enough  upon  him.  He  held 
his  head  more  erect  than  ever,  and  was  apparently 
daring  any  one  to  question  him ;  but  his  fellow  clerks 
knew  him  well  enough  not  to  venture  upon  such  an 
ill-judged  proceeding,  and  gradually  their  sympathy 
with  him  died  away  into  mere  tolerance  of  his  pride 
and  his  pecidiarities,  for  his  downfall  by  no  means 
improved  L.d  social  qualities. 


they 
from 


CHAFER   XVIII. 


GLKAMS    OF    MOIIT. 


IT  chanced  that  one  evenin*);  about  a  fortnight  after 
the  eventti  narrated  in  the  last  'ihapter,  Elsie 
Norbury  met  Warrington  on  his  way  home,  and 
innocently  inquired  why  he  had  not  been  at  their 
house  for  so  long. 

"I  shall  never  come  again,"  he  answered  hotly. 
"  Your  father  has  behaved  most  insultingly,  and  I 
should  feel  that  I  had  lost  all  self-respect  if  I  accepted 
his  hospitality  again." 

Elsie  looked  down  and  murmured  almost  under  her 
breath,  "  I  do  so  miss  you  !  " 

"  Do  you,  Elsie?  "  and  for  the  moment  Ralph  forgot 
all  the  misery  of  the  last  few  weeks. 

"  Father  is  a  little  bit  hard  sometimes  where  business 
is  concerned  ;  indeed,  it  was  not  my  fault  that  he  made 
any  change.  I  did  ray  very  utmost  for  you,  I  assure 
you.  1  would  have  given  anything  to  spare  you  — 
things  are  so  much  exaggerated  in  a  little  town  like 
this." 

Elsie's  sympathetic  tone  nearly  broke  Ralph  down, 
while    it   stirred    the    old    hopes    in    his    heart.     "O 

217 


I  '; 


218 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


Elsie!"  he  cried,  "is  it  possible  that  you  can  think 
kindly  of  me  even  yet?  Some  day,  I  swear  it,  I  will 
be  worthy  of  your  friendship.  I  will  never  forget 
what  you  have  done  for  me ! " 

The  young  lady  gave  him  her  neatly  gloved  little 
hand  as  she  said,  "  Good  by  !  "  adding,  "  Please,  Mr. 
Warrington,  you  must  try  to  forgive  my  father. 
Won't  you,  for  my  sake?" 

"For  your  sake?  I  will  try,  Elsie;"  and  he  ap- 
peared to  succeed  so  well  that  in  a  few  weeks*  time 
he  again  frequently  spent  his  evenings  in  the  manu- 
facturer's drawing  room,  and  was  alternately  depressed 
and  uplifted  by  Elsie's  varying  treatment  of  him. 

"  The  poor  fellow  looks  so  wretched,"  she  told 
Stanton  one  evening  when  she  had  been  driving  Ralph 
nearly  mad  with  her  sudden  freaks  and  changes, 
"  that  I  try  to  be  kind  to  him.  He  is  so  proud  he 
never  will  forgive  father  for  disgracing  him,  but  it  was 
really  necessary,  I  suppose.  It  makes  him  wild  to 
think  that  any  one  can  look  down  on  him." 

"It  would  send  me  wild,"  said  Stanton,  truly 
enough,  "  if  I  had  had  to  go  through  what  he  has.  I 
wonder  he  stayed  in  Wharton  to  be  pitied  and  sneered 
at  by  all  the  virtuous  Fiiarisees  in  the  place.  Oh,  you 
good  people  can  be  as  cruel  as  death  when  you 
choose !  It  *s  a  case  of  give  a  dog  a  bad  name,  I 
think." 


GLEAMS  OF  LIGHT. 


219 


*'Mr.  "Warrington  always  talks  as  if  you  had  been 
a  true  friend  and  have  stood  by  him  faithfully.  Do 
you  see  much  of  him  now?" 

"  A  good  deal.  Some  of  the  fellows  have  cut  him, 
you  know.  That  story  about  his  mother  —  not  true, 
I  dare  say  —  has  gone  round,  so  half  of  them  won't 
have  a  word  to  say  to  him,  as  an  easy  way  of  showing 
their  own  superior  virtue." 

"Mr.  Stanton,  I  have  a  great  favor  to  ask,"  said 
Elsie,  for  once  honestly  trying  to  do  Warrington  a 
kindness. 

"  What  possible  favor  can  be  in  my  power  to  grant 
you.  Miss  Norbury?"  said  Stanton  with  a  theatrical 
air  that  made  Elsie  wonder  whether  he  was  laughing 
at  her. 

"Only,  will  you  use  your  influence  with  Mr.  War- 
rington to  keep  him  from  going  wrong  ?  You  know 
what  his  temptation  is,  and  1  think  you  might  do 
something  to  save  him." 

"  I  fear,"  replied  the  young  man  quickly,  "that  I 
have  very  little  influence  over  him,  at  least  for  good." 
He  was  serious  enough  now,  but  he  did  not  care  to 
pursue  the  subject.  "  Will  you  play  something.  Miss 
Norbury?"  he  asked  rather  suddenly. 

"  What  kind  of  music  do  you  like  best?" 

"  I  hardly  know.  Different  pieces  chime  in  with 
different  moods." 


220 


THE  RAINPliOOF  INVENTIuN. 


"  What  is  your  mood  to-iiiglit?"  stiid  Klsio,  looking 
up  at  him  over  her  shoulder  us  her  fingers  strayed 
softly  over  the  keys. 


(( 


If  I  told  you,  you  would  he  displeased,  pci  iKip 


That 


iUeutly.     What    is    it?     I   do   not 


suits  me  e 
know  that  I  ever  heard  it  hefore." 

"  It  is  a  new  thing  from  one  of  the  operas.  I  don't 
know  it  very  well." 

"  It  is  lovely  ;  what  is  it  called?" 

"  It 's  the  prelude  to  a  song  called  '  Sweet  Dreams 
of  Love.'  Did  you  ever  hear  a  sillier  name,  Mr.  Stan- 
ton?"    She  spoke  r-xther  nervously  and  at  random. 

"  I  don't  call  it  silly  —  I  think  it  is  very  expressive. 
Those  chords  are  soft  and  sweet  enough  to  make  the 
veriest  old  hermit  that  ever  lived  dream  of  love.  I 
shall  blame  you  if  I  dream  of  it  to-night,  Miss 
Norbury." 

Elsie  made  no  answer,  but  she  played  the  piece  again 
with  even  more  expression  than  before,  and  a  soft 
warm  color  came  into  her  cheeks.  At  that  moment 
she  looked  almost  pretty. 

She  did  not  see  Stanton's  face  as  he  stood  beside 
her,  but  she  would  have  given  anything  to  know  what 
he  was  thinking  of.  On  this  occasion,  however,  she 
did  not  discover,  for  Mrs.  Norbury  came  in,  and 
Stanton  began  to  talk  in  his  usual  brisk  fashion  on 
subjects   that   interested   Elsie   much  less   than   that 


LI: 


GLEAMS  OF  LWUT. 


221 


wliich  she  fancied  was  in  his  miiul.  She  felt  vexed 
thut  her  inutiier  luid  disturbed  tliein  just  then,  and  whh 
half  iiielined  to  be  cross  in  conse(iuence,  but  she  hud 
not  nnicii  to  coniphiin  of  in  the  mutter  of  being  looked 
after.  Mrs.  Norbury,  like  niuny  otlier  people,  regarded 
the  triidit'ons  of  her  youth  us  un  infallible  guide,  and 
she  thought  that  the  simple  rules  that  had  been  fol- 
lowed in  her  cottage  home  were  ccpudly  applicable  to 
Elsie's  case.  That  young  huly  in  conse(iuence  enjoyed 
herself  as  she  chose  untramnielod  by  the  interference  of 
a  ehuperone ;  sometimes,  as  we  have  seen,  she  slightly 
abused  her  privileges.  Her  mother  never  dreamed  of 
such  a  thing,  for  she  had  the  greatest  admiration  for 
her  daughter,  and  however  puzzled  she  herself  might 
be  on  points  of  etiquette,  she  was  sure  that  in  society 
Elsie  always  knew  both  what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it. 
Stanton  had  fallen  into  the  ranks  of  Elsie's  pro- 
fessed admirers  long  before  this  time,  and  spent  at 
least  part  of  one  evening  in  every  week  in  her  society. 
lie  made  his  headquarters  in  Wharton  and  was  never 
away  for  longer  than  three  or  four  days  at  a  time. 
He  was  doing  well  for  his  employer,  but  was  by  no 
njeans  satisfied  with  what  he  was  doing  for  himself, 
though  he  had  the  wisdom  to  conceal  that  fact.  He 
disliked  a  good  many  of  the  accompaniments  of  his 
l)resent  life,  though  it  had  some  advantages  over  ordi- 
nary office  work.     Like  Mr.  Norbury  himself,  he  kept 


I 


222 


THE  BAIN  PRO  OF  INVENTION. 


one  object  steadily  before  hiin,  and  that  was  to  make 
money  ;  but,  unlike  the  painstaking  "  self-made  man," 
he  was  impatient  of  slow  progress,  and  was  continu- 
ally casting  about  in  his  mind  for  some  means  of 
hastening  the  accomplishment  of  this  desired  end. 
Already  he  had  contrived  to  make  several  lucky  little 
speculations,  but  they  had  only  whetted  his  appetite 
for  gain.  His  tastes  were  expensive,  so  that  his  suc- 
cesses had  been  of  little  permanent  benefit  to  him. 
His  favorite  scheme  at  the  moment  was  to  marry  for 
money,  but  Miss  Norbury  was  the  )nly  heiress  whom 
fortune  had  thrown  in  his  way,  and  though  he  had 
quietly  begun  to  try  to  attract  her  he  did  not  wish  to 
cummit  himself  lest  he  should  have  cause  to  reinet  it. 
The  fact  is  he  had  a  deep-rooted  prejudice  against  "  a 
thorough-going  ftirt,"  and  he  did  not  know  whether 
Mr.  Norbury  might  not  be  more  unendurable  as  a 
father-in-law  than  as  an  employer.  Influenced  by 
these  considerations  he  labored  earnestly  to  o[)en  some 
other  paths  to  wealth  which  woukl  cost  him  less,  but 
in  the  mean  time  he  still  made  himself  as  agreeable  to 
Miss  Norbury  as  he  knew  how,  for  he  prided  himself 
on  his  prudence. 

As  he  left  the  old-fashioned  house  which  Elsie  was 
still  tilling  with  soft  music  he  began  to  feel  some  dis- 
quietude on  one  point.  He  never  lost  his  self-control 
as  Warrington  and  some  of  his  friends  did,  but  that 


GLEAMS   OF  LIGHT. 


223 


make 
man," 


he  belonged  to  the  same  wild  set  was  evideutly  well 
known,  and  he  feared  that  then*  excesses  might  injure 
his  character  also.  What  if  his  follv  should  bring 
down  swift  and  sudden  judgment  on  himself !  He  was 
uneasy  at  the  thought,  though  at  that  moment  he  was 
on  his  way  to  a  jovial  supper  at  the  memorable  "  Green 
Man,"  where  he  expected  to  meet  Ralph  and  two  or 
three  other  old  friends. 

He  felt  much  anxiety  and  somp  compunction  at  the 
thought  of  this  festivity,  for  he  had  planntd  it  and  it 
was  impossible  to  draw  back  now,  though  he  knew  that 
it  would  require  something  little  short  of  a  miracle  to 
g  t  Warrington,  at  least,  home  in  his  right  mind. 
Strange  to  say,  Elsie's  remonstrance  liad  impressed 
him  greatly,  for  he  knew  that  his  part  in  Ralph's  ruin 
had  been  no  light  one,  and  he  resolved  to  do  what  he 
could  to  save  him. 

Warrington  was  so  readily  excited  now,  and  so 
utterlv  reckless  when  under  temotation,  that  it  was  no 
easy  matver  to  gnt  him  away  from  the  am  sober.  But 
Stanton  accomplished  this  feat,  though  it  involved  the 
early  breaking  up  of  the  feast,  and  earned  for  hiui  the 
undeserved  epithets  of  "  mean  and  shabby."  He  only 
laug'ied,  and  told  his  companions  that  he  had  resolved 
never  to  be  such  a  fool  again,  then  taking  Warring- 
ton's arm  led  him  away,  though  in  his  heart  Ralph  was 
calling  him  "mean  and  shabby  "  too. 


!       ] 


ii'il! 


lililM- 


m 


I  'I! 


224 


THE  BAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


"  I  suppose,  old  fellow,"  he  began,  "  you  wonder 
what  1  am  doing  to-night ! " 

"  Oh,  it 's  all  righc !  "  returned  Warrington,  not 
seeming  to  be  in  the  best  of  tempers,  however. 

"  Well,  the  fact  is,  I  had  a  kind  of  warning  that  our 
good  old  friend,  Mr.  Norbury,  has  not  forgotten  us, 
and  I  thought  we  could  neither  of  us  afford  to  rislv 
our  situations." 

Ralph  clinched  his  teeth  and  muttered,  "I  hate 
him,  the  old  hypocrite  !  " 

"  Well,  perhaps  you '11  have  a  chance  to  get  even 
with  him  some  day  (I  should  n't  blame  you),  but  just 
at  present  we  neither  of  us  want  to  be  kicked  out  of 
the  office  altogether,  and  that's  what  will  happen  if 
he  gets  wind  of  our  '  Green  Man  '  meetings.  For  my 
part,  1  am  determined  not  to  take  the  risk,  and  I 
sha'n't  go  to  another,  let  Thomson  &.  Co.  say  what 
they  choose." 

"  Perhaps  you're  right.     Neither  will  I." 

"  Should  you  be  angry  if  I  gave  you  another  piece 
of  advice  ?  " 

"  I  '11  try  not  to  be,"  replied  Ralph,  but  his  tone  was 
ungracious. 

"Well,  if  I  were  you,  I  would  give  up  the  cards, 
too;  you  only  lose  every  time." 

"  1  will.  I  have  promised  to  do  so  when  I  have 
won  back  what  I  have  lost." 


J:! 


GLEAMS   OF  LIGHT. 


225 


"You  never  will  win  against  those  fellows,  "War- 
rington. Even  if  they  play  fairly,  you  haven't  a 
chance  against  them.  They  keep  cool  and  you  don't, 
and  thev  are  sure  to  get  the  best  of  vou." 

"  You  don't  know  what  a  frightful  mess  I  'm  in," 
gn^aned  Rali)h.  ''  If  I  can't  win  back  that  money,  I 
might  as  well  give  up  trying  to  do  anything.  It 's  all 
up  with  me." 

^  Hut  you  are  only  making  it  worse  every  time  you 
phiy.  Cannot  you  see  that?  You  always  lose  more 
llitui  you  gain.  Look  here  !  come  into  my  rooms  for 
:i  bit,  and  let  us  have  a  cup  of  coffee  to  clear  our 
heads,  and  we  '11  see  if  we  can't  find  some  way  of 
straightening  things  up  a  bit  without  touching  the 
cards." 

Ralph  shook  his  head  dismally,  but  accepted  his 
fiiend's  invitation.  Stantou  had  various  suggestions 
to  make,  and  promised  to  do  his  utmost  to  find  War- 
rington  a  better  situation,  and  at  last  that  young  man 
went  home  in  compartitively  high  spirits.  He  aston- 
ished JNIaud,  who  was  sitting  up  for  him  in  much 
anxiety  of  mind,  by  kissing  her  warmly  as  he  bade  her 
good  night,  and  i)roniising  to  tell  all  about  his  even- 
ing's employments  in  the  morning. 

^Irs.  Warrington  was  still  awake  when  Maud  crept 
up  the  narrow  stairs,  and  called  her  iu  to  ask  whetiier 
"  Ralph  had  come  home." 


226 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


i     ii 


4 

i'ii 


"  Yes,  mother,"  said  Maud  reassuringly,  "  he  is  all 
right  to-uight.  He  has  been  busy  in  some  way,  he 
told  me,  or  he  would  n't  have  been  so  late." 

Viewed  in  the  sober  light  of  morning,  Stanton's  sug- 
gestions did  not  seem  to  be  of  the  most  practical 
character,  but  Ralph  was  cheered  by  them,  and  the 
break-up  of  the  meetings  at  the  "Green  Man"  wns 
of  very  positive  benefit  to  him,  though  he  felt  more 
lonely  than  ever  now  that  he  had  nowhere  to  go  in  the 
evenings  except  to  Mr.  Norbury's.  Fortunately,  two 
or  three  days  after  this  he  got  some  temporary  work 
to  do  in  the  evenings,  and  Maud  won  a  prize  of  sev- 
eral pounds  offered  by  The  Amateur  for  a  water-color 
sketch.  In  this  way  several  small  instalments  of  the 
debts  were  paid,  and  fortune  seemed  to  smile  on  the 
ugly  little  towny  house  where  they  had  taken  refuge. 
Even  Mrs.  "Warrington  looked  brighter  and  happier, 
though  as  the  summer  advanced  she  missed  the  little 
garden  of  Briar  Cottage  more  and  more,  and  longed 
inexpressibly  to  escape  from  the  sultry,  noisy  streets 
into  the  green  and  quiet  of  the  country. 

Her  unexpected  success  was  a  great  pleasure  and 
incentive  to  Maud,  and  she  planned  marvelous  things 
as  she  cooked  and  dusted.  She  seemed  so  nuuth 
more  contented  that  Mrs.  Warrington  fancied  she 
must  have  forgotten  Arthur,  or  had  at  least  con- 
cluded that   their  engagement   had   been  a  mistake. 


mJ^ 


i^ 


GLEAMS  OF  LIGHT. 


227 


II 


sng. 


Whether  she  was  right  or  wrong,  Maud  was  silent  on 
the  subject. 

Since  their  distress  about  Ralph  she  had  done  her 
utmost  to  be  a  comfort  to  her  mother,  and  insensibly 
Mrs.  Warrington  was  beginning  to  lean  on  her  and 
confide  in  her  more.  In  after  years  Maud  looked 
back  to  those  few  months  as  strangely  peaceful  and 
happy,  for  a  great  hope  and  joy  brightened  the  dull- 
ness and  c.nxiety  of  their  quiet  lives.  Ralph  seemed 
to  be  really  changed  for  the  better,  and  for  weeks  he 
never  once  gave  way  to  his  temptation.  He  was, 
moreover,  kinder  and  less  overbearing  at  home,  and 
he  and  Maud  were  good  friends  at  last. 


I 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


THE    HAPPIKST    MAN    IN    TIIK    WORLD. 


l! 


TjlLSIE  was  alone  in  the  drawing  room,  deep  in 
-■-^  the  perusal  of  a  novel  of  a  ratber  exciting 
nature  when  the  door  bell  rang ;  but  she  was  too 
interested  to  hear  it.  A  second  later  the  door  opened 
and  a  servant  announced  Mr.  IMonitor. 

An  elderly  gentleman  entered,  rather  stout,  slightly 
bald,  and  not  particularly  good  looking,  but  none  the 
less  of  a  pleasant  expression.  His  hair  had  more 
than  a  trace  of  gray,  but  his  eyes  were  sharp  and 
bright,  and  his  manner  was  that  of  one  pleased  with 
himself  and  all  the  world. 

As  p]lsie  rose  to  meet  him  he  kissed  her  forehead, 
saying,  '*  You  don't  know  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you, 
Elsie.  But  you  are  not  looking  well,  my  dear.  What 
is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  said  Elsie.  "  How  long  is  it  since  you 
said  good  by  to  us  in  Rome?     It  has  seemed  ages." 

''  It  is  just  six  months,  Elsie." 

''Why  didn't  you  come  sooner?"  and  Elsie  pouted 
and  pretended  to  be  angry,  though  she  would  just  as 
soon  have  finished  her  book  as  talk  to  him  now.     "If 

228 


II 


II 


THE  HAPPIEST  MAN  IN  THE  WORLD.       229 

you  had  really  loved  mc  so  very  much,  I  don't  think 
you  would  have  stayed  away." 

"Well,  my  dear,  you  know  I  couldn't  spoil  poor 
Anna's  little  holiday  because  I  had  happened  to  become 
the  happiest  man  in  the  world  in  the  mean  time.  The 
poor  girl  has  had  such  a  hard  life  of  it,  and  she  is  so 
good  and  unselfish  tliat  1  didn't  even  tell  her  of  our 
engagement,  for  fear  it  should  make  her  uncomfort- 
able. Perhaps  she  might  even  have  fancied  that  I 
wasn't  enjoying  myself."  There  was  something  pleas- 
ant and  kindly  in  Mr.  Monitor's  quiet  simplicity. 

"  And  are  you  going  to  tell  me  you  did  enjoy  your- 
self?" asked  Elsie  coquettishly. 

"  Oh,  yes,  nothing  could  have  been  more  delightful. 
1  like  traveling,  but  if  I  had  n't  liked  it,  Anna's 
pleasure  was  enough  to  make  any  reasonable  man 
happy.  Poor  girl !  she  has  had  such  a  trying  time, 
but  she  is  just  as  sweet-temi)ered  as  she  was  at  twenty. 
Nothing  could  ever  spoil  her.  I  shall  bring  her  to  see 
you  very  soon.  I  told  her  last  night  and  she  is  so 
pleased  to  hear  of  our  engagement." 

"  Is  she  your  youngest  sister?" 

"  Yes,  and  she  gave  up  everything  to  take  care  of 
mother.  She  might  have  had  a  home  of  her  own, 
but  poor  mother  was  ill  so  long,  and  no  one  but  Anna 
could  please  her,  and  so  it  all  had  to  be  given  up.  I 
am  sure  you  will  like  her." 


230 


THE  EAIN PROOF  INVENTION. 


li 


I  am  sure  I  shall  too,  Ileury.     She  must  be  so 
very  unselfish." 

"She  wauts  me  to  beg  a  photograph  for  her;  can 
you  spare  one,  my  dear?" 

"Of  course  I  can,  Henry,  for  your  sister,"  said 
Elsie,  beginning  to  wish  he  would  talk  of  something 
else.     "  Where  did  you  go  after  you  left  us?  " 

"  I  went  to  meet  Anna  in  Paris  first,  and  then  we 
went  baek  to  Italy  and  spent  all  the  cool  weather  there, 
wandering  about  from  one  lovely  place  to  another,  just 
as  our  fancy  moved  us.  But  look,  1  have  brought  you 
something  I  thought  that  you  would  like  from  Venice  ;  " 
and  he  took  a  small  leather  case  from  his  pocket. 

Elsie  opened  it  eagerly.  Inside,  nestling  on  a 
cushion  of  purple  velvet,  lay  a  handsome  gold  bracelet 
set  with  diamonds. 

Miss  Norbury's  eyes  sparkled  nearly  as  brightly  as 
the  gems.  "  O  Henry  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  how  can  I 
ever  thank  you? " 

"  By  letting  me  see  you  wear  it !  "  he  replied  quietly. 
"  I  am  glad  you  like  it." 

"  It  is  perfectly  lovely  —  and  so  handsome  !  I  never 
saw  such  a  splendid  bracelet  before  ;  "  and  Elsie  clasped 
it  on  her  wrist  and  held  it  out  at  arm's  length  to  see  how 
ti.e  light  flashed  on  the  jewels,  while  her  gray-haired 
lover  looked  at  her  with  quiet  admiration. 

His   acquaintance   with   her   had    begun    on    their 


can 


said 


yoii 

■  r.  •  '» 


THE  HAPPIEST  MAN  IN  THE  WORLD.      23 1 

travels,  and  bad  ripened  so  fast  that  when  the  Nor- 
burys  had  to  come  home  in  haste,  Mr.  Monitor  had  ven- 
tured to  ask  Elsie  to  be  his  wife,  although  two  months 
before  he  had  not  even  been  aware  of  her  existence. 
She  was  a  little  startled  at  the  suddenness  of  his 
proposal,  but  overcome  by  h's  earnestness,  or  anxious 
perhaps  to  keep  him  still  in  the  train  of  her  admirers, 
she  had  said  "Yes,"  though  she  was  uncertain 
whether  she  would  ever  keep  her  erigagement. 

Since  she  bade  him  good  by  in  Rome,  Mr.  Monitor 
had  caused  her  a  good  deal  of  anxious  retlection.  On 
the  one  hand,  among  her  man\  suitors  he  was  un- 
(juestionably  the  wealthiest ;  and  P^lsie  set  so  high  a 
value  on  the  things  that  monev  can  buv  that  even  if 
he  had  been  destitute  of  all  good  or  lovable  qualities, 
she  would  at  least  have  considered  his  offer.  But 
even  Mr.  Monitor's  enemies,  if  he  had  any,  would  not 
have  denied  li'm  some  claims  to  affection  and  respect. 
Klsie  had  seen  enough  of  him  to  discover  that  he  was 
what  people  call  "good-hearted"  and  generous,  and 
that  he  was  most  devoted  to  herself.  On  the  other 
hand,  "he  was  so  old  and  so  plain,"  especially  when 
contrasted  with  Arthur  or  Warringtion,  and  worse  than 
all,  ''  he  was  also  stout,  short,  and  bald."  Besides,  he 
was  a  little  slow  and  grave  and  matter-of-fact.  Elsie 
had  balanced  his  good  qualities  against  his  bad  ones 
many  a  time,  and  had  found  a  difficulty  in  coming  to 


232 


rjIK  llAlNPltOOF  rXVENTIOX. 


n'' 


Ml 


'i 


i       ! 


a  decision,  ho  she  had  written  hiin  the  sweetest  of 
letters  und  had  awaited  the  turn  of  events. 

Stranj^e  to  say,  she  never  felt  so  dissatisfied  with 
her  ,/Jcnirv'  as  when  she  eonti'asted  hiui  witli  Stanton, 
who  yet  was  not  nearly  as  ^ood  jookinji;  or  tis  devoted 
as  Wurrinj^'ton.  It  nnuU;  lusr  quite  hot  to  think  what 
fun  the  vonnyr  man  would  make  of  her  elderlv  lover, 
and  at  such  times  she  told  herself  it  would  be  ridicu- 
lous to  think  of  keeping  her  promise.  But  her  father 
luul  solemnly  approved  of  her  en<^agement,  anil  she 
knew  that  any  attemi)t  to  break  it  off  would  caustj  a 
most  unpleasant  contest  with   him. 

She  was  earnestly  debating  tlie  ([uestion  once  more, 
when  Mr.  Monitor,  who  hail  been  watching  her  grave 
face  with  anuised  interest,  exclaimed,  "■  A  penny  for 
your  thonglits,  Elsie  !  " 

"  They  are  worth  more  tlitm  a  i)enny,"  she  said 
lightly.  "  I  'm  not  going  to  tell  you,  Henry.  It  was 
—  about  you." 

"Then  I  won't  ask  you  a  second  time.  I  am 
satisfied." 

"  I  wonder  if  you  would  be,  if  you  knew  what  I 
had  really  been  thinking,"  said  Elsie  daringly,  for  Mr. 
Monitor's  question  amused  her. 

"  I  hope  so,"  Mr.  Monitor  replied  with  a  contented 
air.  "  It  is  a  glorious  day,  Elsie  ;  how  would  you  like 
to  go  for  a  drive  ?  " 


t  of 


THE  uArriEsr  man  in  the  would.     233 

"  It  would  be  lovely.  I  am  il}'iug  to  get  out  into 
the  country." 

Mr.  Monitor  hud  inherited  u  considerable  fortune 
from  his  father,  who  hud  been  u  successful  mun  of 
business.  His  own  tastes  did  not  lie  in  thut  direction, 
however,  und  though  at  the  time  of  bis  futher's  death 
lie  bud  been  supposed  to  l)e  prepuring  hinisolf  for  the 
same  kind  of  life,  he  hud  immediutely  sold  out  his 
interest  in  tiie  concern  und  hud  invested  his  property 
to  much  advantage.  Bring  thus  in  possession  of  an 
income  that  was  large  for  his  way  of  life,  he  had 
spent  his  time  chietly  in  traveling  ;  but  getting  tired  of 
wandering  at  last,  he  had  bought  u  pretty  eottuge  in 
the  loveliest  purt  of  Devonshire,  und  hud  tried 
to  "  settle  dowuo"  In  the  furniture  und  urrange- 
ments  he  had  consulted  his  own  tastes  and  fancies 
without  let  or  hindrance  and  the  house  was  filled  with 
a  strange  colltiction  of  beautiful  works  of  art,  quaint 
relics  of  untiquity,  and  odd  souvenirs  of  his  journeys. 
His  neighbors  had  nicknamed  the  establishment  the 
"  Museum,"  and  it  was  quite  as  well  worth  seeing  as 
many  of  the  smaller  public  collections  of  miscellaneous 
ctuiosities.  Some  people  irreverently  suggested  that 
.le  usefulness  of  the  place  would  be  vastly  increased 
if  the  articles  were  numbered  and  cutulogued,  but 
when  the  genial  master  was  at  home,  he  was  always 
ready  to  act  as  showman  of  his  treasures,  and  would 


234 


THE  liALSPliOOF  IWHNTIOS. 


suiHwcr  llie  qucHtioiiH  of  tlii'  most  iiivotuniU!  Hooker 
jiftor  knowledge  for  hours  togetlier.  The  oddest  ptirt 
of  it  wjis  tliiit  he  could  hardly  bo  siiid  to  have  any 
particular  hobby,  for  at  diffeiont  tiuies  he  had  col- 
lected with  equal  zest  coins,  niinorals,  old  china, 
butterflies,  ami  rare  books,  lie  had,  however,  one 
reigning  favorite  at  a  time,  and  just  now  ho  was 
collecting  and  drying  all  specimens  of  the  British 
ilora  he  could  lay  his  hands  on.  Even  in  the  pleasurt! 
of  Elsie's  society  he  did  not  forgot  his  wish  to  add  to 
his  collection,  and  carried  about  with  him  what  looked 
much  liivo  a  schoolgirl's  music  case,  but  proved  to  be  a 
huge  pad  of  blotting  paper. 

As  they  drove  along,  his  eyes  were  keenly  scninning 
the  ditches  by  the  wayside  and  the  shady  nooks  Jindor 
the  hedges,  and  more  than  once  he  stop[)ed  the  car- 
riage to  secure  some  tiny  "  weed,"  as  Elsie  called  it. 
Nevertheless  she  admired  it  to  his  heart's  content 
when  he  pointed  out  its  beauties,  and  showed  a  marvel- 
ous facility  for  getting  it  into  a  graceful  and  natural 
position  to  be  pressed.  Elsie  was  suri)riso(l  to  (Ind 
how  much  pleasure  he  derived  from  his  odd  i)ursiiits, 
and  how  ready  he  was  to  admire  even  the  scenery  that 
she  always  spoke  of  with  contempt.  In  her  eyes  it 
was  nothing  but  so  many  tlat  fields,  a  few  green 
hedges,  a  dusty  road,  and  a  narrow  brook  ;  but  Mr. 
Monitor  spoke  of   the  changing  lights  and  shadows, 


77/ A'  llAl'l'IEST  MAN  IN  THE  WORLD.      235 


'okor 
piirt 
unv 
col- 
li na. 


and  saw  lirauty  in  llio  varied  luios  of  the  {^rowiiij; 
grain  and  in  ti»e  ricli  color  of  the  herds  of  red  cattle 
peacefully  ^ni/Jn^  in  the  green  pasture,  or  standing 
knee-dee[)  in  the  cool,  well-shaded  brook.  As  they 
turned  back  towards  home,  he  even  pointed  out  the 
line  effect  of  the  smoke  from  the  town  glorified  by 
the  fast  sinking  sun  into  the  softest  mystery  of  dis- 
tance, through  which  even  the  tall  factory  chimneys 
scarcely  showed  their  hard  and  matter-of-fact  char- 
acter,  while  the  church  spires  suggested  thoughts  of 
some  fairy  city  of  the  East. 

"  I  never  thought  it  pretty  b(!fore,"  said  Elsie.  "  I 
am  afraid  you  will  think  me  very  deficient  in  the  sense 
of  the  beautiful.  Vol'  must  teach  me  how  to  see 
things." 

Mr.  Monitor  laughed.  "  No,  Elsie,  I  don't  want 
you  to  see  things  just  as  I  do.  Even  if  it  were  possi- 
ble, it  would  not  be. half  as  interesting." 

"  Now,"  said  Elsie,  with  a  spice  of  mischief  in  her 
tone,  as  they  drove  through  the  narrow,  unfinished- 
looking  streets  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  "  I  begin 
to  see  a  really  wonderful  richness  of  color  in  that  old 
red  chimney.  ^^  contrasts  beautifully  with  the  black 
roof  of  the  building  to  the  right,  does  n't  it,  Henry?" 

Mr.  Monitor  laughed  again.  "1  am  sorry  to  say, 
Elsie,  that  if  you  ask  me  to  see  beauty  in  a  near  view 
of  a  great  factory  like  that,  with  its  rows  of  staring 


m 


;'"M 


i 


236 


THE  EAINriiOOF  INVENTION. 


windows,  I  can't  do  it.  Old  associution  forbids  it,  for 
I  suffered  a  good  deal  at  my  father's  factory  in  my 
youth.  After  all,  I  dure  say  association  has  much  to 
do  with  the  way  we  look  at  things." 

"  Perhaps  it  has,  but  if  so,  I  ought  to  admire  Whar- 
ton from  all  points  of  view,  for  I  suppose,  as  lives  go, 
that  mine  has  been  happy  here." 

Elsie  spoke  a  little  doubtfully,  and  INIr.  Monitor 
replied:  "I  hope,  my  dear,  il  will  be  st'll  happier 
with  me.  It  shall  be  if  I  can  make  it  so.  I  am 
going  to  ask  of  you  a  great  favor,  P^lsie." 

"•What  is  it!  I  hope  it  is  somotiiing  really  great. 
I  should  so  like  to  be  able  to  do  soinethinir  for  vou." 

"  Well,  you  can.  AVill  you  try  to  persuade  your 
mother  to  bring  you  to  pay  me  a  visit  down  in  Devon- 
shire before  the  fine  weather  is  over?  Anna  is  most 
anxious  to  have  you,  and  J  am  sure  you  will  like  tiie 
place.  There  is  no  difference  of  opinion  upon  its 
beauty.  If  vour  father  will  come,  too,  it  will  be  so 
much  the  better." 

"  1  am  afraid  father  could  n't  leave  Wiiarton  so 
soon  again,  but  I  am  sure  the  change  will  lo  mother 
good.  I  have  been  trying  to  get  her  away  all 
summer." 

Mrs.  Norb'iry  was  dismayed  at  the  thought  of  taking 
a  long  journey  and  staying  for  days  among  strangers  ; 
but  Klsie  convinced   her  that   it  was  only  right  and 


THE  HAPriES r  MAN  1 .7  THE  WORLD.       237 


proper  to  go,  so  she  submitted  with  exemplary  meek- 
ness. But  her  troubles  were  not  over.  From  the 
time  this  visit  was  decided  on,  Elsie  distracted  her  by 
delivering  her  u\)  into  the  hands  of  dressmakers  and 
iiiilliners,  for  the  young  lady  was  by  no  means  satisfied 
with  tiie  state  of  her  mother's  wardrobe.  For  two  or 
three  weeks  the  knitting  was  entirely  neglected,  for  Mrs. 
Norbury  was  in  such  constant  demand  to  be  measured 
or  "  fitted  "  that  she  had  neither  time  nor  strength  to 
follow  her  ordinary  unintermitting  puifcuit,  and  went 
about  complaining  to  all  her  acquaintances  of  hei  over- 
worked condition  ti:!  suspicion  was  aroused,  and  against 
Elsie's  will  the  secret  of  her  engagement  leaked  out. 

As  she  had  expected,  INFr.  Nor])ury  refused  to  leave 
his  business  so  soon  again,  though  he  approved  of  his 
wife's  and  daughter's  going.  IMatters  in  the  factory 
were  in  a  somewhat  critical  condition,  for  though  the 
work  people  had  accepted  the  reduction  of  wages  with- 
out striking,  they  were  deeply  dissatisfied,  and  the 
least  friction  would  probably  lead  to  a  revolt.  Be- 
sides, Mr.  IMilwood  sympathized  too  openly  Avith  tiiem 
to  be  safely  left  in  charge. 

Mr.  Norbury's  new  invention,  moreover,  was  caus- 
ing him  considerable  turmoil  of  spirit.  Having,  as  he 
imagined,  been  cheated  of  the  fruits  of  his  labors 
before  in  spite  of  the  patent,  he  had  been  afraid  to 
risk  his  improvements  in  the  same  fashion,  and  bad  at 


238 


THE  It AIN PROOF  INVENTION. 


last  concluded  to  k 


•tant  part  of  the 


•I    : 


last  conciiKied  to  Keep  the  more  important  part  oi 
process  secret,  though  this  would  bring  upon  his  own 
shoulders  a  great  increase  of  labor.  The  clerks 
rather  approved  of  his  new  occupation,  as  he  now 
spent  even  more  time  than  before  upstairs  on  the  third 
storv  in  the  odd  little  closet  already  described.  They 
had  a  pleasant  sense  of  freedom  when  they  knew  that 
he  was  not  even  within  hearing  of  them,  except  when 
he  was  called  down  to  see  some  caller  or  customer. 

He  began  to  look  very  worn  and  tired  after  he  had 
spent  several  successive  days  working  early  and  late 
in  his  laboratory,  and  Elsie  remonsti-atcd  earnestly 
with  him  on  the  foolishness  of  giving  up  all  that  made 
life  worth  living  for  the  sake  of  a  little  more  certain 
gain,  even  admitting  that  it  was  more  certain.  But 
though  he  complained  loudly  of  the  hardships  of  his 
lot,  he  would  not  be  convinced,  for  his  secret  had 
become  his  idol,  and  he  valued  it  not  only  for  the 
wealth  it  would  bring  him  l)ut  for  its  own  sake.  He 
guarded  it  as  jealously  as  a  miser  guards  his  gold,  and 
if  any  one  wislied  to  annoy  him  it  was  only  necessary 
to  ask  some  trivial  question  about  the  "  new  prepara- 
tion." In  one  of  tlie  rooms  behind  the  ollice  he  once 
caught  Bob  Littleton  in  the  act  of  smelling  at  a  jarful 
that  had  been  sent  down  for  use,  and  loctured  him 
severely  on  the  iniquity  of  trying  to  penetrate  into 
other  people's  secrets.     Bob  was  almost  too  much  dis- 


THE  HA PPTEST  MAX  LY  THE  WOULD.       239 


iiiayed  to  defend  himself,  but  recovered  sufficiently 
l)ofore  Mr.  Norbury  had  gone  upstairs  again  to  show 
the  contempt  in  which  he  held  his  insinuations,  by 
dipping  his  finger  in  the  stuff  when  his  back  was 
turned  and  tasting  it.  He  never  did  it  again,  how- 
over,  for  the  taste  was  indescribablv  nastv,  and  it 
made  him  feel  so  sick  that  he  began  to  fancy  that  he 
had  perhaps  poisoned  himself  in  his  desire  to  show  a 
proper  spirit  under  rebuke.  He  was  all  tue  more 
apprehensive  because  only  the  evening  before  a  drug- 
gist's assistant  had  been  enlightening  the  members  of 
the  I.  I.  A.  on  poisons  and  their  antidotes,  and  liob 
had  been  astonished  to  learn  how  small  a  quantity  of 
some  substances  is  sullicient  "  to  do  for  a  fellow." 

Bob  was  a  very  zealous  attendant  at  all  lectures  in 
connection  with  his  pet  association,  but  the  last  series, 
intended  to  instruct  people  how  to  act  in  sudden 
emergencies,  had  been  almost  too  much  for  him.  As 
long  as  his  remembrance  of  the  lecture  was  at  all 
fresh,  he  was  continually  watching  for  some  oppor- 
tunity to  put  the  newly  acquired  knowledge  into  prac- 
tice, and  at  this  period  of  his  career  he  appeared  to 
be  continually  anticipating  some  dreadful  disaster.  It 
was  only  natural,  therefore,  that  he  should  feel  some 
mental  discomfort  after  his  rash  investigations  of  Mr. 
Norbury's  secret  until  he  was  reassured  by  the  absence 
of  any  physical  effects  of  it  whatever. 


CHAPTER   XX. 


,n. 


DECEIVED     AND    DECEIVING. 

THpj  uews  of  P^lsie's  ongtigement  was  a  terrible 
blow  to  Ralph,  for  iu  his  degradation  the 
thought  of  her  sympathy  and  perhaps  her  love  for 
him  had  been  his  one  hope  for  the  future.  Stanton 
had  told  him  how  anxious  she  was  that  he  should  be 
saved  from  the  dreadful  habit  that  was  overcoming 
him,  and  the  knowledge  that  it  grieved  her  had  more 
to  do  with  his  temporary  reformation  than  he  himself 
guessed.  For  it  was  temporary.  On  the  night  he 
heard  the  news  he  had  a  more  terrible  outbreak  than 
ever  before,  and  his  mother's  hopes  were  shattered  to 
the  ground.  She  had  expected  so  much  from  his 
weeks  of  patient  work  that  in  her  disappointment  she 
was  almost  heartbroken.  And  this  time  there  was  a 
sad  air  of  deliberation  about  his  fall  that  added  to  the 
pain  of  it.  He  could  not  plead  that  his  friends  had 
led  him  into  folly,  for  he  was  alone,  and  yet  came 
home  mad  and  rajjinii;  with  drink  —  so  mad  that  even 
his  mother  dared  not  face  him,  but  was  forced  to  hide 
with  Maud  in  her  locked  bedroom. 


They   never   learned    the   story  of 

240 


this   miserable 


DECEIVED  AXD   DECEIVING. 


241 


night,  but  when  they  heard  that  Miss  Norbiiry  was  to 
be  married,  tliey  guessed  the  cause  of  Ralph's  wild 
plunge  into  his  old  sin.  He  had  gone  up  to  Mr.  Nor- 
bnry's  house  and  Elsie  had  met  him,  gracious  and 
smiling  as  usual,  and  had  led  him  on  once  more  to  tell 
her  of  his  hopes  concerning  herself,  when  Mr.  Moni- 
tor came  in,  and  he  learned  by  some  slight  accident 
what  he  was  to  Elsie.  At  first  he  could  not  believe  it, 
but  Elsie  with  the  eyes  of  her  future  husliand  upon 
her  was  bound  to  confirm  the  news,  and  AN'^arrington 
had  rushed  out  of  the  house  like  a  madman,  burning 
with  rage  and  pain.  He  had  wandered  about  the 
streets  for  hours,  wearying  but  not  mastering  himself. 
At  last,  fevered  with  thirst  and  tortured  with  his  own 
thoughts,  he  had  stopped  to  seek  forgetfulness  of 
everything  in  what  had  been  the  cause  of  his  heaviest 
troubles. 

In  her  careless  vanity  Elsie  thought  complacently  of 
her  lover's  despairing  face,  but  Mr.  Monitor,  from  the 
height  of  his  own  great  happiness,  deeply  pitied  the 
poor  fellow  who  had  missed  it.  He  had  a  wondering 
gratitude  to  Elsie  too,  that  she  could  have  refused  for 
him  (plain,  stout,  and  mUdle-aged)  a  suitor  so  hand- 
some and  so  nuich  in  earnest.  "  Elsie,  dear,"  he  said 
gently,  "  you  shall  never  regret  your  choice  if  I  caji 
help  it.  I  wish  with  all  my  heart  that  I  had  been 
younger  and  handsomer  for  your  sake,  little  woman." 


242 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


I 


■i  '■ . 


"  What !  you  surely  never  fancied  that  I  could  have 
preferred  Ralph  Warrington  to  you?"  she  said,  laugh- 
ing as  if  the  idea  amused  her.  And  it  did,  for  if  she 
ever  broke  her  promise  it  would  not  be  for  Ralph's 
sake.  To  do  her  justice  she  had  not  the  least  con- 
ception of  the  misery  she  was  causing  him.  If  she 
could  have  seen  him  at  that  moment,  she  would  hardly 
have  laughed. 

In  spite  of  her  light  words,  Mr.  Monitor  thought  that 
she  was  grieved  to  have  wounded  the  young  man,  and 
he  liked  her  the  better  for  it,  for  as  she  played  or 
talked  to  him,  a  passing  shadow  seemed  at  times  to 
fall  upon  her  face.  He  longed  to  soothe  and  comfort 
her,  but  did  not  like  to  inquire  into  a  secret  which  she 
did  not  share  with  him  unasked. 

WheL"  she  was  at  last  alone  in  her  own  chamber  a 
verv  unmistakable  shadow  fell  on  her,  and  she  sat 
musing  in  a  lov/  armchair  instead  of  going  to  bed. 
As  she  thought,  she  turned  the  diamond  bracelet  round 
and  round  on  her  arm,  watching  the  flashing  of  the 
gems  with  a  face  which  expressed  miserable  irresolu- 
tion. If  Mr.  Monitor  could  have  read  her  thoughts 
he  would  never  have  dreametl  of  making  her  his  wife, 
for  she  had  lied  to  him,  and  he  loved  the  truth  above 
all  things ;  but  not  being  blessed  or  afflicted  with 
exceptional  shrewdness,  he  put  implicit  faith  in  every 
one  of  Elsie's  pretty  little  professions  of  affection. 


DECEIVED  AND  DECEIVING. 


243 


Mark  Stanton,  who  was  still  a  frequent  visitor  at 
Mr.  Norbury's  house,  watched  P^lsie's  acting  with 
much  auuiseiuont,  for  he  read  her  very  easily.  He 
did  a  little  acting  on  his  own  account,  moreover,  and 
at  this  time  it  was  his  rdle  to  appear  dejected  and  mis- 
erable, and  sometimes  even  to  affect  the  tragic  He 
knew  that  his  chance  of  winning  the  heiress  of  Whar- 
ton was  not  quite  as  hopeless  as  some  people  might 
imagine,  and  he  was  beginning  to  set  about  the  matter 
seriously.  He  felt  some  little  compunction  about  Mr. 
Monitor,  "the  poor  old  fellow  was  so  innocently 
happy,"  but  he  soothed  his  conscience  by  the  thought 
that  Elsie  could  not  continue  to  deceive  him  for  very 
long,  and  that  the  awakening  would  be  at  least  as 
painful  if  it  came  after  his  marriage  as  before.  A 
matter  that  gave  him  considerably  greater  disquiet  was 
the  dilliculty  of  making  up  his  mind  as  to  whether  the 
enjoyment  to  be  obtained  from  the  possession  of  Miss 
Norbury's  money  would  be  sutHcient  compensation  for 
being  burdened  with  Elsie  herself.  On  the  whole, 
however,  he  was  inclined  to  take  the  risk  ;  the  rather 
because  both  Mr.  Monitor  and  Mr.  Norbury  were 
pressing  Elsie  to  be  married  almost  at  once  and,  though 
she  was  clever  in  getting  her  own  way,  it  was  obvious 
that  she  would  not  hold  out  much  longer  against  their 
united  forces  if  she  had  no  support. 

It   happened,  fortunately  for   his   plans,  that   Mr. 


244 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


Norbnry  had  carried  off  his  future  son-in-law  to  a 
public  dinner  of  the  local  notabilities  one  evening' 
when  Stanton  called,  so  that  enterprising  young  man 
bad  a  fair  field  for  his  operations.  lie  began  the 
attach  vvith  vigor,  sympathizing  with  Klsie  on  being 
fo''ced  into  a  marriage  with  a  man  so  much  oldei'  than 
herself  merely  for  the  sake  of  his  wealth. 

This  was  plain  speaking,  but  in  lier  surprise  Elsie 
did  not  attempt  to  pretend  that  her  proposed  marriage 
was  one  of  affection,  and  when  Stanton  proceeded  to 
indulge  in  a  general  (piizzing  of  her  elderly  lover's 
manners,  appearance,  and  simplicity,  she  j<iined  in  the 
laugh.  An  instant  later  she  found  that  Stanton  was 
using  his  sharp  tongue  upon  herself,  ironically  compli- 
menting her  on  her  powers  of  ^^  blinding  tlie  poor  old 
man,"  and  more  than  insinuating  that  she  was  merce- 
nary e)iough  to  do  and  suffer  anytlr'.ig  for  monev. 

F.h.ie  grevv'  angrv  and  bewiMered,  but  she  was  no 
match  for  her  antagonist,  and  in  iier  haste  she  said 
a  great  deal  moi"e  than  she  'Ute^i'ded,  and  put  hersrlf 
wholly  in  his  power,  owning  that  she  could  scarcely 
endure  the  society  of  the  man  to  whom  she  v/as 
engaged. 

Then  Stanton  changed  his  tactics,  and  told  her  in 
so  many  words  thai  "  she  knew  he  loved  h(>r,  and  that 
she  loved  him." 

Elsie  looked  a  little  frightened,  but  did  not  deny 


DECEIVED  AXD  DECEIVING. 


246 


to  a 


I 


heing 
than 


Elsie 


it,  and  Slaiiton  pathetically  adjured  her  "  not  to 
wrcH'k  all  tlicir  lives  for  money  "  ! 

In  tiie  end  she  j^ave  hiin  a  promise  also,  on  condi- 
tion that  he  would  keep  it  secret  and  help  her  to 
escapi;  from  tlie  entanglement  in  which  she  wu.*  in- 
volved. She  declared  that  she  dared  not  tell  them 
then  and  there  of  her  change  of  mind.  She  must  go 
to  Devonshire  as  she  had  promised. 

Stanton  made  no  objection  to  tiiis,  ])ut  urged  her  to 
write  to  him  often,  and  made  wild  protestations  of 
devotion,  to  whieli  Klsie  listened  eagerly.  Romeo 
was  nothing  to  him  !  and  Elsie  was  completely  de- 
ccivetl.  Stanton  went  away  in  higli  spirits,  and 
meditated  all  the  way  home  on  the  life  of  ease  before 
him.  [le  had  not  much  coini)nnction  for  the  part  he 
was  playing.  At  tlie  worst  VA^xa  was  not  more 
deceived  than  deceiving  ;  ])ut,  cynical  as  lie  was,  he 
preferred  to  retlect  on  the  end  he  had  in  view  rather 
thtin  on  the  means  by  which  he  hoped  to  gain  it. 

In  the  mean  time  Elsie  was  looking  at  her  own  image 
in  the  glass,  and  was  wondering,  with  an  altogether 
new  humility,  that  Stanton  could  have  thought  her 
beautiful.  Ihit  it  gave  her  great  gladness  too,  and 
even  the  thonght  of  I\[r.  Monitor  brought  no  over- 
inasteiing  sense  of  her  wrongdoing.  She  compared 
herself  to  one  of  those  ill-used  heroines  of  the  days 
when  woman's  rights  had  never  been  dreamt  of,  and 


■Mil 


!«' 


J 


246 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTIOX. 


a  daughter's  baud  could  be  disposed  of  at  her  fathei's 
will  and  without  regard  to  her  wishes.  From  this 
point  of  view  Mr.  Norbur^'  rapidly  assumed  the  pro- 
portions of  a  ferocious  tyrant,  while  the  unfortunate 
Mr.  Monitor  became  a  kind  of  ogre;  sind  Klsie  hero- 
ically prepared  to  resist  the  sacrifice  to  the  last. 

This  resolve,  however,  did  not  intei'fere  with  h(>r 
endeavors  to  enjoy  her  visit  to  the  ogre's  castle,  or  to 
be  kind  and  amiable  to  the  monster  himself.  She 
was  more  bewitching  than  ever,  especially  when  she 
received  one  of  Stanton's  glowing  letters,  or  when 
Mr.  Monitor  made  some  great /f^fe  in  her  honor.  Slic 
loved  notoriety,  and  she  enjoyed  being  introdtict'd  :is 
the  bride-elect.  She  even  enjoyed  (strangely  enough) 
the  anticipation  of  the  gossip  which  would  be  caused 
by  the  runaway  marriage  she  had  l)egun  to  regard 
as  probable,  but  her  pleasure  was  not  without  alloy. 
There  were  times  when  it  gave  iier  bitter  pangs  to 
think  of  resigning  the  delights  of  reigning  as  mistress 
of  Mr.  Monitor's  house,  even  for  Stanton's  sake,  and 
there  were  other  times  when  she  could  not  keep  up  the 
ogre  fiction,  ])ut  was  agonized  with  shame  and  sorrow 
for  her  treachery  to  the  man  who  trusted  her  so  com- 
pletely. Yet  neither  shame  nor  sorrow  could  be 
called  repentance,  for  she  walked  on  steadily  in  the  path 
she  had  chosen,  and  more  than  once  assured  Mark 
in  her  letters  that  she  had  "  met  her  fate  "  at  last. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 


LINKLLY. 


ONE  wet  morning,  a  fortnight  after  Elsie  and  hor 
mother  arrived  at  Linelly,  they  were  all  amus- 
ing themselves  as  best  they  could  in  the  library.  It 
was  Mr.  Monitor's  favorite  room,  overlooking  a  deep 
rocky  valley,  at  the  bottom  of  which  a  shallow  brook 
foamed  its  way  to  the  sea  ;  but  to-day  the  prospect 
was  blurred  by  sheets  of  heavy  rain,  and  Elsie,  after 
standing  for  a  long  time  at  the  window,  turned  away . 
impatiently,  saying :  — 

"  1  don't  think  there  is  any  chance  of  its  clearing  up 
now.     We  shall  have  to  give  up  our  drive  for  to-day." 

Mrs.  Norbury  looked  up  placidly  and  said,  ''  AVell, 
Elsie,  it  is  pleasant  enough  indoors."  Miss  Anna 
Monitor  was  teaching  her  a  new  stitch,  and  she  was 
very  happy  in  her  own  easy-going  fashion,  but  her 
daughter  felt  restless  shut  up  "  with  three  old  people," 
as  she  said  to  herself,  and  she  longed  for  some  more 
exciting  diversion  than  another  review  of  the  curios- 
ities, to  which  she  was  every  moment  expecting  Mr. 
Monitor  would  invite  her. 

The   room  was    a   quaint,    old-fashioned   one,  con- 

■247  * 


248 


THE  JiAISriiOOh    INVENTION. 


I J 


lii 


:'l! 


i    :1 


I    M 


tiiiniiijjj  inuny  odd  cornurn  lined  with  bookciiKCH,  iind 
furnished  with  little  tables  and  "  Sleepv-hollow " 
chairs,  but  in  lOlsie'a  eyes  its  greatest  gloi'ics  were  a 
large  stained-glass  window  and  the  dark  nianteli)iece 
of  richly  carved  oak.  The  I)ooks  were  a  very  second- 
ary consideration  with  her,  though  they  looked  well  in 
their  handsome  bindings,  and  she  liked  occasionally  to 
read  a  good  story  or  book  of  travels.  Just  now  she 
was  not  in  the  humor  for  reading;  she  wandered 
aimlessly  about,  taking  down  first  one  volume  and 
then  another.  At  last  she  settled  down  in  a  par- 
ticularly comfortal)le  chair  in  what  Mr.  Monitor  called 
the  Political  Economy  corner. 

"  What  a  learned  man  you  nuist  be,  Henry  !  "  she 
murmured,  after  a  lengthy  examination  of  the  titles  of 
the  volumes  near  her.  ''Have  you  really  had  the 
patience  to  read  all   {  ese  dry  things?" 

Mr.  Monitor  laughed.  ''  1  have  uever  had  time  to 
read  them  all,"  he  answered. 

"  Why  did  you  buy  them  then?  " 

"  1  hardly  know.  I  like  t  >  have  them,  and  perhaps 
I  may  read  them  some  day.  I  often  wish,  though,  1 
could  make  more  use  of  them.  It  seems  a  pity  that 
they  should  uever  be  opened,  when  I  have  no  doubt 
many  a  man  would  be  glad  of  the  chance  to  read  them. 
You  must  try  to  think  of  some  way  in  which  we  can 
turn  them  to  account." 


L/.VICLLV. 


249 


*•  Yon  had  hotter  write  a  book  yourself,"  said  Klsie, 
Hiiiiliiij,^.  '•  My  cousin  Arthur  was  always  hunting  up 
something  in  the  Wharton  library.  I  aiusure  he  would 
liave  been  glad  of  sneh  a  place  as  this.  Mother  heard 
from  him  just  before  wo  left  home,  and  he  said  that 
he  was  almost  living  just  then  in  the  library  of  the 
IJritish  INIuseum." 

''What  is  he  doing,  Klsie?" 

"Oh,  ho  writes  articles  now  for  The  Onlooker  and 
for  some  little  newspaper  —  1'he  Commercial  Sun. 
lie  used  to  be  in  the  olllce  at  the  mill,  but  father  and 
he  had  a  difference  of  opinion  about  one  of  those  very 
papers.  [le  is  a  nice  fellow,  but  very  full  of  all  sorts 
of  wild  socialistic  ideas,  and  he  had  written  somethin<r 
about  '  Work  and  Wages '  that  got  him  into  trouble 
with  half  the  manufacturers  of  Wharton." 

"Are  you  speaking  of  Arthur?"  askod  Mrs. 
Norbury,  letting  her  knitting  drop  on  her  knee. 

"Yes,  mother.  I  was  telling  Mr.  Monitor  why  he 
wont  away." 

"  I  wish  he  had  never  gone.  I  am  sure  he  must  be 
having  a  dreadfully  hard  time  in  London.  lie  is 
working  too  hard  altogether." 

"  Do  you  think,  Elsie,  he  would  run  down  here  for 
a  change?  Anna,  how  would  it  do  to  write  and  ask 
him  ?  " 

Elsie   had   already   told    Miss    Monitor    somethintr 


I 


.a 


250 


THE  llAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


about  Arthur's  parentago.  She  was  one  of  those 
motherly  women  who  are  ready  to  do  anything  for 
any  one  who  is  either  ill  or  poor  Ci  Iv>nely  ;  and  so  she 
gave  the  invitation  very  cordially. 

Arthur  hesitated,  but  accepted  it,  for  he  was  tired 
out  with  his  work  and  was  glad  of  the  opportunity  to 
see  his  aunt  and  cousin  again  without  the  risk  of 
meeting  his  uncle  ;  and  in  less  than  a  week  after  that 
wet  morning  he  arrived  at  Linelly. 

He  was  not  the  only  visitor,  however,  for  some 
distant  cousins  of  Mr.  Monitor  had  suddenly  sent 
word  they  were  coming  to  spend  a  few  days  at  his 
house.  It  proved  that  Elsie  had  already  some  slight 
acquaintance  with  them,  and  their  father  belonged  to 
the  very  firm  of  Martin,  Monitor  &  Thersey,  with 
whom  Mr.  Norbury  had  learned  his  business.  Miss 
Anna  had  a  great  affection  for  these  young  people, 
for  they  had  been  motherless  almost  since  they  were 
babies,  and  had  frequently  spent  their  holidays  under 
her  care,  but  her  brother  had  evidently  no  love  for 
their  father.  He  had  never  said  such  a  thing  in  so 
many  words,  yet  Elsie  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  had  been  concerned  in  some  discreditable  business 
transaction,  and  that  Mr.  Monitor  disliked  and  dis- 
trusted him  in  consequence ;  but  it  was  a  matter  on 
which  he  was  not  disposed  to  be  communicative,  and 
she  let  the  subject  drop. 


LINELLY. 


251 


The  elder  of  his  two  children  was  a  young  man, 
seemingly  a  year  or  two  younger  than  Lester,  and  the 
otlier  was  a  quiet,  grave-looking,  rather  matter-of-fact 
girl  of  eighteen  or  nineteen,  who  watched  Elsie's  pro- 
ceedings -.i'Ai  alternate  dismay  and  admiration.  Her 
brother  John  had  been  one  of  Miss  Norbury's  most 
faithful  slaves  in  his  boyish  fashion  from  the  moment 
he  was  introduced  to  her,  and  the  young  lady  encour- 
aged his  attentions,  for  she  had  grown  very  tired  of 
interminable  conversations  with  \\gv  Jianc('^  and  the  lad 
both  amused  her  and  saved  her  from  l)eing  "  bored." 

Mr.  Monitor  had  an  excellent  tennis  ground,  and  the 
four  young  people  devoted  themselves  to  that  active 
game  with  a  vigor  that  seemed  to  give  their  host  as 
much  satisfaction  as  themselves.  Elsie  played  well, 
with  grace  as  well  as  energy,  but  she  was  a  little 
capricious.  Once  or  twice  she  stopped  the  game  at  its 
most  exciting  moment,  to  the  great  indignation  of 
Arthur's  usual  partner.  Miss  Monitor,  who  played  with 
a  stern  determination  to  win,  and  had  an  abhorrence 
for  trifling.  Tlie  second  time  Miss  Norbury  got  tired 
of  the  contest,  Ida  Monitor  declared  that  if  she  retired 
auain  before  the  game  was  fairlv  lost  or  won,  she 
would  never  play  with  her  any  more.  Ilr.  Monitor 
was  annoyed  with  tlie  girl  for  her  earnestness  over  a 
game,  but  Elsie  had  only  laughed  good-iuimoredly  and 
promised    reformation.     The    promise  was   soon    for- 


252 


THE  liAIY PROOF  INVENTION. 


I     M 


I-. 


I  , 


ii 


li 


gotten,  however.  The  ven'  next  afternoon,  when  she 
saw  tlie  postman  approaching  the  honse,  she  flnng  her 
racquet  away  and  went  to  meet  him.  Arthur  lingered 
a  moment  to  try  to  pacify  Ida,  but  finding  the  attempt 
useless,  he  followed  his  cousin,  for  he  was  every  day 
expecting  his  recall  to  town.  Elsie  had  possession 
of  tlje  letters,  and  in  trying  to  find  one  for  him  she 
dropped  a  little  package  of  her  own.  Lester  picked  it 
up,  and,  as  he  did  so,  recognized  the  handwriting  in 
which  it  was  addressed. 

P^lsie  looked  vexed,  and  tried  to  slip  it  out  of  sight, 
but  Arthur  said  quietly,  "  Is  n't  it  almost  time  to  give 
up  that  sort  of  thing,  P^lsie?" 

"  There  is  no  harm  in  it,  Arthur,"  she  said,  trying 
to  speak  playfully.  "  You  are  so  very  prim  and 
proper ;  you  don't  understand  a  bit  of  fun.  Mr. 
Monitor  would  n't  have  said  anvthing  if  he  had  seen 
that." 

Arthur,  being  young,  naturally  resented  the  epi- 
thets "  prim  and  proper,"  but  he  did  not  choose  to 
betrav  the  fact.  "  I  dare  sav  he  would  n't,  P^lsie  ;  but 
he  doci;'  ! 't  know  you  as  well  as  I  do.  Besides,  is  it 
fair  to  Stanton  ?  " 

"Now,  Arthur,  don't  lecture!  I  do  so  hate  it! 
Did  you  get  the  letter  you  expected?" 

"  Yes,  and  I  got  one  that  I  did  n't  expect.  Mason 
has  accepted  a  story  of  mine  for  the  European  Maga- 


l> 


LINELL  Y. 


253 


zine,  and  here  is  the  first  fruits  of  it."  Arthur  ex- 
citedly waved  a  check  before  his  cousin's  astouished 
eyes. 

"Let  me  see,  you  mad  boy!"  exchiimed  Elsie. 
"What  is  it?     When  did  you  write  it?" 

"  In  the  evenings,  and  wheuever  I  got  The  Sun  done 
with  early  in  the  week.  It  is  not  only  the  money 
I  am  glad  of,   it 's  the  "  — 

"Glory?"  put  in  Elsie. 

"  No,  I  did  n't  expect  glory,  for  this,  at  any  rate; 
but  it 's  rather  encouraging." 

"  Rather  encouraging  —  I  should  think  it  is  !  Is  it 
printed  yet?" 

"  Only  the  first  part.  I  will  send  it  if  you  care  to 
see  it." 

"  Of  course  I  do.  How  long  shall  you  be  able  to 
stay  here?  " 

"  Only  till  Monday." 

"  I  'm  sorry.  This  place  will  feel  dull  without  you, 
though  we  are  always  quarreling." 

"  When  are  you  going  home,  Elsie?  " 

"In  about  a  fortnight,  I  expect.  JMr.  Monitor 
wants  us  to  stay  longer,  but  I  really  am  an x ions 
to  go  home." 

"John  Monitor  has  given  me  a  most  pressing  invi- 
tation to  pay  him  a  visit  at  Inglefield  in  a  few  weeks, 
and  if  I  can  manage  to  run  up  there  I  will  call  and 


|i  .   h 


'If 


254 


t/jje;  raintroof  ixvention. 


see  you.  I  don't  suppose  Uncle  Jtimes  would  object, 
do  you?" 

"No;  he  is  too  busy  to  think  of  anything  but  the 
mills.  I  don't  know  what  will  happen  if  —  when  I 
am  married.  Mother  does  n't  seem  to  notice  much 
whether  he  works  early  or  late.  I  wish  he  wouhl 
patent  the  new  invention  and  not  try  to  do  so  much 
himself." 

"  Who  helps  him  with  it?  does  any  one?  " 

*'  Not  much,  I  think.  He  is  afraid  to  trust  any  one. 
I  wish  sometimes  he  had  never  discovered  it.  I  am 
sure  it  will  do  him  more  harm  than  good." 

"If  it  does  well  for  a  year  or  two  perhaps  he  will 
be  willing  to  sell  the  mills  and  retire." 

P21sie  shook  her  head.  "I  don't  suppose  he  ever 
will.  He  has  worked  so  hard  all  his  life  that  he  has 
lost  both  the  power  and  the  wish  to  rest.  Mr.  Monitor 
seems  so  curiously  diflferent.  He  has  so  many  inter- 
ests in  life  that  I  don't  suppose  any  one  disappoint- 
ment or  trouble  could  do  him  much  harm."  Slie 
looked  unusually  grave.  "  What  do  you  wish  for 
most  in  life,  Arthur?" 

"  1  don't  know  whether  I  can  answer  you  honestly, 
Elsie.  Sometime  1  hope  (and  think)  that  I  would 
rather  live  to  serve  my  day  and  generation  faitlifully 
than  to  do  anything  else  ;  but  I  am  an  ambitious  fel- 
low,  and  at   other  times  I    feel  as  if    I  could  make 


LINELLY. 


255 


ect, 


Faust's  bargain  for  the  sake  of  gaining  a  place  in  the 
temple  of  fame,  more  's  the  shame  for  my  father's 
sou." 

"Do  yoi  mean  it  really,  Arthur?  I  thought  you 
found  it  easy  to  be  good."  Elsie's  tone  was  half 
mocking,  or  Arthur  fancied  so,  but  he  answered 
nevertheless :  — 

*'  Then  I  can  tell  yoi;  plainly,  Elsie,  that  I  don't 
find  it  easy  to  ])e  even  what  I  call  good,  and  per- 
haps if  I  could  see  what  the  word  really  means, 
I  sliould  feel  tempted  to  say  it  was  impossible."  He 
hesitated  and  stumbled  as  people  often  do  in  speaking 
of  such  matters,  as  he  went  on.  "  If  my  father  had 
not  been  what  he  was,  I  fancy  I  might  have  lost  all 
belief  in  God  or  goodness ;  but  as  it  is,  if  I  am  not 
true  to  my  Captain,  he  will  be  a  witness  against  me  in 
the  day  of  judgment." 

There  was  no  mistake  about  the  mockery  in  Jilsie's 
tone  now.  "  You  are  a  regular  local  preacher,  Arthur. 
1  wasn't  prepared  for  such  a  sermon,"  she  said;  but 
though  she  laughed,  her  cousin  had  stirred  up  thoughts 
that  she  would  willingly  have  forgotten,  and  she  was 
glad  when  John  cludlengod  her  to  another  game  of 
tenuis. 

Arthur  had  blushed  hotly  at  those  few  poor  words 
of  ridicule,  and  now  he  was  ready  to  blush  xor  shame 
at  his  own  cowardice. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


IN     TIIK     (iKAY    DAWN 


ri^HE  dreary  autumn  evening  was  closing  in,  but  the 
-L  children  in  the  narrow  street  were  still  at  their 
play,  and  noisy  screams  and  whoops  sounded  even 
through  the  closed  windows  of  the  little  room  where 
Maud  sat  beside  her  mother.  She  wa*^  busy  painting 
Christmas  cards  in  sepia  for  the  miserable  sum  of  five 
shillings  a  dozen.  They  were  cpiaint  little  studies  of 
dogs  and  cats  and  chickeus  in  all  kinds  of  attitudes 
and  with  varying  expressions ;  but  Maud  worked 
rapidly,  grimly,  and  mechanically,  for  the  time  seemed 
to  have  come  when  the  sacrifice  demanded  of  her  was 
her  life  itself. 

It  was  three  weeks  now  since  her  mother  had  left  her 
bed,  and  though  the  doctor  iiad  assured  her  that  the 
case  was  not  hopeless,  she  was  certainly  very  ill. 
Ralph's  fits  of  dissipation  had  alternated  with  fits  of 
penitence,  but  he  was  steadily  traveling  down  the  hill 
in  spite  of  his  mother's  agonized  prayers,  and  every 
day  Maud  expected  that  he  would  be  dismissed  from 
his  situation.  Half  the  furniture  in  the  house  had 
been  sold  to  satisfy  their  chimorous  creditors  and  to 

25ti 


IN   THE  GRAY  DAWN. 


257 


supply  Ralph  with  the  means  of  averting  disgrace,  but 
all  seemed  in  vain.  Every  step  onward  led  into  thicker 
darkness,  and  Maud  was  beginning  to  fear  lest  her  inva- 
lid mother  should  be  even  short  of  food  and  medicine. 
So  she  worked  desperately  at  her  comical  cats  and 
dogs,  end  each  had  a  funnier  face  than  the  last,  though 
she  could  scarcely  see  what  she  was  doing  for  tears. 

Her  niother  moaned  uneasily,  but  she  still  slept,  and 
even  a  sudden  rap  at  the  street  door  did  not  waken 
her.  Maud  fancied  it  must  be  Bob,  who  often  found 
his  way  there  in  the  evenings  with  some  little  delicacy 
for  Mrs.  Warrington,  which  the  girl  had  not  the  heart 
to  refuse,  either  for  the  sake  of  her  mother  or  the 
giver,  but  this  time  it  was  not  Bob. 

In  the  dusk  Maud  did  not  recognize  the  tall  figure 
on  the  doorstep,  but  she  did  recognize  the  voice,  though 
the  words  "Miss  Warrington"  sounded  odd  and 
strange.  In  her  overwhelming  trouble  she  forgot  all 
that  had  gone  before,  and  holding  out  both  hands  she 
literally  drew  Lester  into  the  house,  exclaiming,  "I 
thought  you  would  come  at  last !  "  and  then  she  quite 
broke  down  and  sobb^il  almost  hysterically. 

Arthur  was  surprised  and  grieved  at  her  manner, 
though  he  was  glad  to  receive  so  warm  a  welcome, 
lie  ventured  presently  to  put  his  arms  round  her,  but 
Maud  suddenly  remembered  that  she  had  told  him  that 
he  could  never  be  anything  to  her  again.     Then  she 


Ho 


258 


THE  EAIN PROOF  IX  VENT  TON. 


I'  I     ii 


iLr  aght  of  Elsie  mkI  her  engagement,  and  said  hnm- 
i 'y,  "Can  you  ever  forgive  me,  Arthur?  I  have 
thot!.;rht  often  since  that  I  ought  to  have  asked  you 
phiinly  about  it.  And  I  had  no  ri<5ht  to  say  such  cruel 
things  about  that  paper." 

"You  are  talking  in  riddles,  Maud.  What  could  I 
have  explained  to  you  ?  " 

"  About  your  cousin,  Miss  Norbury.  I  thoug^^t  you 
cared  for  her,  Arthur." 

"  Was  that  the  reason  you  sent  back  my  ring?  " 

"Yes;  but,  Arthur"  — 

"  Wait  one  minute,  Maud.  Tell  me,  on  your  honor, 
that  you  bnd  no  other  reason  !  " 

"  No,  I  had  not.  I  am  very  isorry,  but  every  one 
said  you  were  engaged  to  her,  and  you  seemed  so  fond 
of  her  that  I  thought  it  was  all  a  mistake  between  us, 
and  that  you  would  be  glad  to  be  free." 

"And  I  thought  that  you  were  tired  of  me,"  said 
Arthur,  "and  people  told  me  that  Mr.  Milwood"  — 

"  Surely,  Arthur,  they  never  said  that !  " 

"Yes,  they  did,  Maud,  and  of  course  I  was  stupid 
enough  to  think  it  was  true.  I  suppose  we  ought  to 
have  had  more  faith  in  each  other,  and  less  in  what 
'  they  say.'  We  have  let  our  gossiping  friends  make 
a  pretty  muddle  for  us  ;  but  I  am  resolved  that  1  '11 
never  listen  to  them  again,  Maud,  and  I  hope  you 
won't  either." 


'.:)gif'}\'- 


IN  THE  a  HAY  DAWN. 


259 


"  It  i8  only  two  or  three  weeks  since  I  heard  of  Miss 
Norbury's  cngtigeinent,  and  of  course  1  pitied  yon  a 
good  deal,"  said  Maud  with  t<.  gleam  of  mischief  in 
her  tired  face. 

"•  1  don't  believe  it,  Maud  (or  ,  i  were  never  fond 
of  Elsie,"  said  Arthur,  la      .*.u^  - 

"No,  I  wasn't  and  I  .un  noL,"  said  Maud  with 
some  energy;  "  but,  Artr  .  L  ought  not  to  stay  talk- 
ing here  so  long.     Mother  may  be  needing  me." 

"  Is  she  very  ill,  Maud?" 

"  Yes,  very,  though  the  doctor  does  not  quite  give 
up  hope,"  she  answered.  Artiun-  had  heard  some- 
thing from  Bob  Littleton  of  the  way  in  which  Ralph 
was  going  on,  but  he  had  not  spoken  of  Mrs.  War- 
rington's illness  rs  dangerous. 

"My  poor  girl,  I  had  no  idea  you  were  in  such 
trouble." 

"That  is  not  all,"  sighed  Maud.  "  Ralph  is  going 
on  worse  every  day.  How  it  w'll  end  I  cannot  guess. 
Arthur,  I  ought  to  have  left  things  as  they  were.  I 
was  tired  and  raiseral)le  and  startled  when  you  came 
in  and  I  forgot  everything,  but  I  have  promised  mother 
over  and  ov.r  again  that  I  will  never  give  Ralph  tip, 
come  what  may  !  " 

"  Maud,  dear,  I  will  try  to  help  you  save  him.  I 
will  never  ask  you  to  give  him  up." 

"  You  don't  know  what  you  are  promising,  Arthur. 


'! ;  1. 


■  i 


i 


260 


THE  HAINntOOF  INVEXTIOY. 


lie  will  disgrace  us  all  by  doing  soinotliing  dreadful,  I 
am  afraid.  It  is  not  right  that  you  should  be  uiixcd 
up  with  it." 

"  It  is  right,  Maud.  Nothing  shall  part  us  again  ;  " 
and  taking  her  liand  he  gently  slipped  the  old  ring  on 
her  finger  once  more.  INIaud  turned  it  round  and 
round  but  she  did  not  taivo  it  olT,  tiiough  she  felt  as  if 
she  ought  to  give  it  hack.  Slie  contented  lierself  with 
one  more  protest,  but  Arthur  would  not  listen,  and  at 
that  instant  she  heard  her  mother's  feeble  voice  call- 
ing her  name.  She  ran  upstaiis  at  once,  reproach- 
ing herself  for  neglecting  her,  but  Mrs.  Wtirrington 
seemed  to  have  cried  out  in  her  sleej),  for  she  was  «till 
Iviu"'  as  she  had  left  her. 

Arthur  was  waiting  to  bid  her  good  by  when  she 
came  down  agtun,  but  lie  lingered  for  a  fi'w  minutes 
longer,  telling  her  '■♦■  his  life  in  Loudon  and  of  his  suc- 
cesses and  hoj)es.  He  had  made  his  call  on  the  Xor- 
burvs  and  was  o})li<i;ed  to  return  to  Loudon  on  the 
following  day,  but  he  promised  to  come  to  see  her 
again  soon,  and  when  Maud  went  back  to  her  post  at 
her  mother's  side  the  darkness  that  luinir  (jver  tUe 
future  did  not  seem  so  utterly  impenetrable. 

Till  long  after  midnight  she  worked  at  her  cards  to 
make  up  for  lost  time,  but  the  whimsical  faces  of  the 
animals  had  happier  expressions  now,  for  at  intervals 
she  glanced  at  the  little  ring  upon  her  tinger  to  assure 


IN   THE  (,'IiAY  DAWN. 


261 


liorsc'lf  that  Arthur's  comiiii^  Iiad  not  beeu  onlv  a 
(Iroam.  At  hist  .she  hcaid  Ralph's  misteady  stop  upon 
the  stairs,  and  «^athi'ring  up  hvv  work  she  hiy  down 
h('.si(Ki  her  mother,  listonini;  anxiouslv  to  lier  uncertain 
hreathiuij;,  :ind  risinjr  nianv  limes  before  davhroak  to 
jjjet  her  medicine  or  water,  or  to  rearrange  her  pilh)ws. 

Mrs.  Warrington  had  8lei)t  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  day,  hut  she  now  seemed  restU'ss  and  uneasy  ; 
and  Maud  scarcely  closed  her  eyes. 

Kalpli  went  to  the  oHice  on  the  following  morning 
without  tasting  any  breakfast,  or  even  speaking  to  his 
sister.  As  soon  as  he  was  gone  she  asked  one  of 
their  neiglibors,  a  kind,  middle-aged  woman,  to  come 
and  sit  with  Mrs.  Warrington  while  she  took  back  her 
work  to  the  picture  dealers  and  got  a  frtsh  supply. 

Her  mother  was  often  half  unconscious,  and  Maud 
spent  a  long  dreary  day  beside  her,  still  working 
rapidly  at  lier  sketches  during  all  the  time  she  could 
si>are  from  her  housework  and  the  necessary  attend- 
ance on  her  mother,  till  Kali)h  came  home  late  in  the 
night.  That  day  was  but  a  sample  of  many  that  fol- 
lowed, in  which  the  only  bright  spots  were  the  thoughts 
suggested  l)y  the  magic  ring  upon  her  finger,  but  at 
length  there  came  a  change.  Even  Maud's  inexpe- 
rienced e^'es  could  see  something  unusual  in  the  face 
of  the  invalid,  and  when  the  doctor  called  he  confirnjed 
her  fears.     As  Ralph  was  leaving  the  house  she  ran 


I-,;  1 


I  ! 


1^ 


I     « 


I 


i       ' 


i        ] 


262 


THE  JlAlNVltOOF  INVENTION. 


after  him  to  beg  him  to  come  home  early  tiiat  night. 
*'  I  ttin  certain,"  she  adtled,  ''  that  mother  has  only  a 
very  short  time  to  live,  but  I  dare  not  wake  her  to  bid 
you  good  by  now.  O  Kalph,  don't  \vX  her  go  without 
seeing  you  again  !  She  breaks  my  heart  with  asking 
for  you  whenever  she  is  conscious." 

"Indeed,  Maud,  I  will  be  home  early,"  said  Ralph. 
"  lie  sure  to  send  for  me  if  there  is  any  change." 

Towards  noon  Mrs.  Warrington  came  to  herself  and 
spoke  to  Maud  more  naturally  than  she  had  done  for 
days;  but  the  doctor  said  she  was  sinking  fast  and 
could  not  live  through  the  night.  She  asked  Maud 
what  he  had  said,  and  made  iier  promise  once  more  to 
do  her  utmost  to  save  Ralph.  Towards  six  o'clock 
her  restlessuesL  increased,  and  shi;  began  to  beg  her 
daughter  piteously  to  let  her  say  good  by  to  Ralph. 
Maud  tried  to  soothe  her,  telling  iier  that  he  was  sure 
to  come  in  a  few  minutes  ;  but  the  minutes  passed,  he 
did  not  come,  and  Maud  knew  that  he  had  once  more 
broken  his  word. 

Never  in  all  her  life  did  she  forget  the  hours  that 
followed.  Ralpli  did  not  couj",  and  his  dying  mother 
never  ceased  her  dreary  despairing  wail  of  "Ralph! 
Ralph !  "  mixed  with  frightened  sobs  and  exclama- 
tions. She  was  delirious,  and  was  haunted  with  the 
thought  of  her  son,  her  first-born  and  her  best 
beloved,  as  he  was    then,  perhaps,  at   some    fearful 


i 


L\   TUb:   (I HAY  I)A\V!i. 


203 


(Iriiiikcn   revel,    fast   cU'.stioyiiii;    in    liiinself   tbo    last 
vestiges  of  decency  aiul  {^ooilueas. 

Maud  dared  uot  leave  her,  even  for  a  moment,  to 
get  the  aid  she  so  sorely  needed,  and  through  three 
long  hours  she  watched  alone  beside  thaf  lying  bed. 
At  last,  as  the  clocks  in  the  town  struck  nine,  she 
heard  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  opening  the  window  she 
saw  Bob  Littleton  looking  up  at.her.  Mrs.  Warrington 
was  iu  a  kind  of  stupor  at  the  moment ;  but  Maud 
went  down  in  fear  and  trembling,  lest  her  excitement 
should  come  on  again  before  she  could  return. 

"  O  Mr.  Littleton  !  "  she  cried,  not  waiting  to  hear 
his  errand,  "  will  you  ask  Katie  Milwood  to  come  to 
me?     My  mother  is  dying  and  I  am  quite  alone!" 

''  Where  's  Ralph  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  don't  know.  He  promised  to  come  home  early, 
and  mother  has  been  asking  for  him  all  the  e'/emag. 
I  don't  know  what  1  shall  do  if  she  wakes  again  and 
he  is  n't  here." 

"I'll  find  him,  if  he  is  anywhere  m  Wharton,"  said 
Bob  grimly. 

"Listen,  she  is  beginning  again.  I  must  go;  I 
can't  thank  you  for  your  kindnj^iis,  but"  — 

"Never  mind.  That's  all  right.  I'll  ht'/  Miss 
Katie  here  In  a  few  minutes,  ana  Ral{)!i  too  ;  nee  if  I 
don't,"  said  Bob,  dashing  out  of  the  house  at  head- 
long speed. 


U 


if 


264 


THE  RAINPIiOOF  INVENTION . 


^11 


But  Maud  and  her  friend  watched  and  waited 
through  all  that  dreadful  night,  and  he  did  not  come. 
His  mother's  weary  wailing  filled  their  hearts  with 
anguish.  Maud  -jould  not  bear  to  tell  her  that  Ra![)h 
was  still  out,  and  by  and  by  gave  up  answering  her 
questions,  for  she  listened  for  nothing  but  her  son's 
step. 

In  this  dread  hour  Maud  was  forgotten  altogether, 
and  even  in  tlu!  girl's  misery  it  was  an  additional  pain. 
Presently  INIrs.  Warrington's  piteous  cries  to  Ralph 
changed  to  prayers  for  him.  She  begged  the  Almighty 
and  All-merciful  to  spare  her  wretched  ])oy ;  and  as 
she  prayed  her  restless  lossing  ceased,  and  the  peace 
of  God  came  slowly  into  her  worn  face.  The  last 
word  on  her  lips  was  "  Ralph,"  as  at  length  she  fell 
asleep  like  a  tired  child.  Maud  thanked  God,  as  she 
kissed  her,  that  the  long  struggle  was  over ;  then  sank 
on  her  knees  in  dumb,  hushed  sorrow  for  he»'  dead. 

How  long  she  knelt  there  she  did  not  know,  but 
slowly  she  became  conscious  of  sounds  below,  and  she 
knew  that  Ralph  Isad  come  home  too  late.  A  gray 
light  streamed  through  the  uncurtained  windows  upon 
a  group  in  the  parlor.  Bol)  was  there,  rubbing  away 
at  his  eyes  with  his  hu..«ikerchief,  but  Ralph  was  talk- 
ing noisily  and  foolishly,  in  spite  of  Miss  IMilwood's 
efforts  to  make  him  comprehend  what  had  happened. 

Bob  started  up  to  meet  Maud,  as  if  to  spare  her  the 


/xV    THE  QUAY  DAWI^. 


266 


sight  of  her  degriicled  l)rother,  but  slio  only  said, 
"Mr.  Littleton,  will  you  be  so  very  kind  tis  to  try  to 
get  him  quietly  to  his  room  ?  I  cau't  tell  him  yet ;  he 
does  not  understand." 

Maud  did  not  try  to  sleep  herself,  and  in  the 
morning  site  went  to  Ralph's  room,  looking  white  and 
wan  in  the  dim  light,  to  tell  liiui  the  terrible  truth. 
The  sight  of  his  speechless  misery  touched  her  deeply, 
but  she  thought  it  kindest  and  wisest  not  to  spare  him, 
and  in  low  tones  she  related  the  whole  sad  story  of 
the  day  before.  Ralph  hid  his  face  from  the  light 
of  heaven  and  sobbed  like  a  child.  Maud  wept  with 
him,  but  made  no  attemi)t  to  comfort  him.  The  l)est 
hope  for  him  now  was  to  realize  what  he  had  done. 

An  hour  or  two  later  he  stole  like  a  guilty  creature 
into  his  mother's  room,  and  with  a  trembling  hand 
lifted  the  sheet  that  covered  her  face.  For  a  moment 
he  stood  looking  down  with  eyes  that  could  not  see 
for  tears;  then,  with  a  great  and  bitter  cry,  he  Hung 
himself  down  beside  her.  She  was  lost  to  him 
forever,  and  the  wrong  he  had  done  her  could  never 
be  wiped  away.  He  saw  no  hope  for  time  or  for 
eternity.  Frightful  memories  of  his  sins  surged  over 
him,  till  he  could  neither  think  nor  pr.iy.  The  tor- 
tures of  one  hopelessly  lost  and  d(!spaiiing  were  his, 
for  he  knew  that  the  ragini;  beast  within  him  was  but 
chained,  not  slain,  and  that  as  surely  as  he  entered 


266 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


1 

1 

i 

i: 

\          1 

• 

\ 

1  ■          } 

|i;;'         \\       \ 

|:j 

\\ 

again  into  temptation  it  would  master  and  govern 
him  as  before.  His  terrible  consciousness  of  help- 
lessness was  unbearable,  and  in  his  agony  he  accused 
his  Maker  of  leaving  him  no  escape  from  evil,  forget- 
ting that  no  man  is  beyond  the  reach  of  God's  good 
mercy,  but  any  one  may  have,  if  he  choose,  lue  aid  of 
Infinite  strength  on  which  to  rest  his  weakness. 

He  would  not  speak  to  those  who  came  to  comfort 
him,  but  met  their  sympathy  with  surly  silence,  and 
closed  his  ears  to  their  messages  of  love  from  God 
himself.  As  the  days  went  by  his  keen  anguish  grew 
duller,  and  he  took  up  the  burden  of  living  again  in 
the  spirit  of  one  resolved  neither  to  seek  nor  to  expect 
satisfaction,  but  to  endure  stoicallv  what  must  oe- 
Maud  hoped  much  from  his  strange  quietude  and 
thoughtfulness,  and  strove  with  all  her  might  to  help 
him  in  his  painful  struggle.  Slowly  the  autumn 
passed  into  winter,  tlie  brother  and  sister  lived 
on  in  unbroken  seclusion,  and  people  began  to  say 
that  Ralph  Warrington  was  a  changed  man  since  his 
mother's  death. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


"  A    LOT   OF   LHTLE    ACCIDENTS.' 


LITTLETON,  come   here ;   I  waut  you ! "   called 
out  Mr.  Norbury  in  the  severe   tone   he   kept 
especially  for  the  clerks  and  work  people. 

Bob  started  and  murmured  in  Charley's  ear  as  he 
passed  him,  "  I  wonder  what  I  have  been  doing 
now  !  " 

"  Whatever  it  is,  you  're  in  for  it !  "  replied  Charley. 
Mr.  Norbury  is  ready  to  bite  off  his  own  head  this 


(( 


morning. 

But  Bob  came  out  of  the  inner  room  with  a  face  of 
deep  importance  and  bustled  about,  delivering  mes- 
sages to  everybody  before  he  sat  down  to  take  copies 
of  a  heap  of  letters  which  Mr.  Norbury  had  given 
him. 

"What  is  the  row?"  asked  Charley;  but  before 
Bob  could  answer,  Mr.  Norbury  came  out  of  his  room 
again  anJ  made  a  little  speech,  as  he  had  done  on  the 
day  of  Warrington's  disgrace.  "  Gentlemen,  I  have 
just  discovered  tiiat  some  one  has  stolen  my  secret, 
and  I  intend  to  offer  a  reward  of  £300  for  informa- 
tion that  will  lead  to  the  conviction  of  the  otfender. 

267 


i' 


h 


'■'^i  ■*  % 


268 


THE  liAmPROOF  INVENTION: 


If  any  of  you  can  give  me  any  information  whatever 
about  the  matter,  you  shall  be  liberally  rewarded." 

The  clerks  looked  at  one  another  in  dismay,  and 
Charley  said,  "Do  you  suppose  he  thinks  it's  one 
of  us?" 

"  No,"  said  Bob,  "he  thinks  it 's  Lester.  Is  n't  it 
a  shame?  For  the  matter  of  that,  he  might  just 
as  well  say  it  was  me,  for  I  helped  to  break  into  his 
precious  cell  upstairs  there ;  but  he  does  n't,  he  is 
convinced  that  Lester  has  done  it." 

"How  could  he  have  done  it?"  asked  Maurice. 
"What  do  you  mean,  Bob?" 

"Well,  don't  you  remember  the  day  old  Norbury 
locked  himself  into  the  '  prison,'  and  then  smothered 
himself  or  fainted  or  something  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  well,  what  of  that?  " 

"  Lester,  or  we  at  least,  got  a  carpenter  to  break 
open  the  door,  and  then  I  went  for  the  doctor  and 
Arthur  stayed  with  him.  He  says  now  that  Artinii' 
took  away  some  of  his  recipes,  or  whatever  you  call 
them,  for  the  new  preparation,  and  stained  some  other 
papers  with  acids  und  put  them  into  a  drawer  with  a 
lot  of  chemicals,  so  that  they  came  out  all  brown  and 
black  and  blue,  and  couldn't  be  read.  Such  stuff!  as 
if  Arthur  would  take  all  that  trouble  to  cheat  him." 

"But,  Bob,  it  does  sound  a  little  bad  for  Lester; 
don't  you  think  so?  "  said  Maurice. 


"^   LOT  OF  LITTLE  ACCIDENTS:' 


269 


i 


'•No,  J  don't,  Maurice;  you  don't  need  to  try  to 
trap  me  into  sayinj^  Arthur  liiis  done  it,  for  I  know  he 
hasn't!  That  old  fool  in  there"  (and  Bob  no". clod 
indignantly  towards  the;  private  room)  "  tf 'ks  as  if 
Arthur  was  desperately  to  blame  for  opening  the  door 
at  all,  but  if  he  had  n't  lie  'd  have  been  as  dead  as  a 
door  nail  in  no  time,  and  so  I  told  him  !  He  wanted 
to  make  me  sav  I'd  seen  Arthur  meddling  with  his 
chemicals." 

''  I  wonder  if  the  secret  reallv  is  worth  as  much  as 
he  says  !  "  exclaimed  Charley.  "Father  talks  about 
thousands  of  pounds,  but  1  should  n't  think  any  one 
would  pay  much  for  it  till  they  saw  how  it  worked." 

"Why  couldn't  Ikj  get  a  [atent  and  be  content! 
It 's  all  his  money-grubbing  tiiat  has  got  him  into  this 
mess,"  said  Bob  ;  "  that  is,  if  lie  new  patent  '  Alba- 
tross '  cloth  has  any  connec'  i  at  all  with  our  old 
'Rainproof.'  After  all  it's  ore  than  likely  that  it 
has  n't." 

"  Well,  you  know,  Stanton  always  said  that  those 
other  people  imitated  our  .ii<-nt  and  took  all  the  good 
of  it,  without  Mr.  Morbui  .'s  being  able  to  catch  them 
by  law,"  said  Maurice. 

"Lester  said  that  was  just  a  fancy  of  Mr.  Nor- 
bury's,  and  I  expect  this  's  another.  To  my  thinking 
t!ie  'Albatross'  doesn't  t'  ^  h  ours;  there's  a  dif- 
ferent feeling  about  it,  though  it  looks  much  the  same." 


1  ' 


270 


THE  RAINPIWOF  INVENTION. 


(4 


(( 


Where  did  you  sec  it?  " 

Oh,  Mr.  Norbury  has  got  some  samples.  I  don't 
beUevc  it  will  wear,  and  if  I  had  my  way  Mr.  Nor- 
})iiry  would  just  make  no  fuss  and  bother,  but  go  on 
his  ordinary  way.  Why,  we  have  more  orders  in  now 
than  wc  can  execute." 

"That's  all  very  well,"  replied  Maurice,  "  but  for 
my  part  I  don't  wonder  Mr.  Norbury  does  n't  like  to 
be  cheated  out  of  an  idea  he  has  worked  over  so  long. 
It 's  not  fair,  and  he  would  do  well  to  look  after  Mr. 
Lester  about  it,  I  think.  He  can't  be  very  honorable 
or  he  would  n't  have  stirred  up  such  a  row  about  the 
work  people." 

"  It  wanted  stirring  up,  and  I  wish  he  would  do  it 
again." 

"  Perhaps  he  hitends  to.  I  met  him  in  AVharton 
five  or  six  weeks  ago,"  said  Maurice.  "  By  the  way, 
Bob,  did  n't  you  say  it  was  the  Inglefield  people  who 
have  begun  to  make  this  '  Albatross '  stuff?  " 

"  Yes,"  returned  Bob,  "  and  1  suppose  now  you  '11 
say  that  because  Lester  stayed  with  the  Monitors  a 
day  or  two  his  guilt  is  proved?  Oh,  you're  as  bud 
at  jumping  to  conclusions,  Maurice,  as  any  woman  I 
ever  saw." 

"  '  A  man  convinced  against  his  will  is  of  (he  same 
opinion  still,'"  replied  Maurice  laughing.  "I  liked 
Lester  well  enough,  but  a  fellow  who  will   play  one 


^ 


ip 


^^ 


''A  LOT  OF  LITTLE  ACCIDENTS, 


271 


i  don't 
r.   Nor- 
t  ^^o  on 
in  now 

l)ut  for 
like  to 

«o  lonir. 

ter  Mr. 

•norublu 

»out  the 

(I  do  it 

^'"barton 
10  way, 
'!e  who 

yon  '11 
itors  a 
IS  bud 
inau  I 

same 

liked 

}'  one 


shabby  trick  will  often  play  another.     If  I  were  you, 
1  'd  have  no  more  to  do  with  liini." 


(( 


I  am  i)roud  of  being  his  friend,"  cried  Bob  indig- 
nantly, "  and  I  never  will  believe  that  he  has  done 
such  a  thing  !  You  may  say  what  you  like,  but  1  'm 
not  going  to  talk  any  longer  about  the  matter.  It 
is  n't  fair  play  to  condemn  a  man  for  a  lot  of  little 
accidents  that  might  happen  to  anybody." 

Maurice  laughed  aij"!'!.  "  Do  you  call  his  airs 
about  the  work  people  at-  *b.'cident?  No  doubt  he  was 
hard  put  to  it  for  an  excuse  to  get  away  from  here 
with  his  precious  secret ;  but  I  always  thought  there 
must  be  something  behind  that." 

*'  Did  you,  indeed?  "  said  Bol>  with  something  very 
like  a  sneer,  for  he  was  losing  his  temper  for  once. 
''It's  easy  to  be  wise  now,  isn't  it?" 

Maurice  made  no  reply  and  returned  to  his  desk, 
but  the  clerks  took  sides  for  and  against  Arthur,  and 
Bob  broke  his  resolution  not  to  talk  about  him  twenty 
times  a  day.  He  was  his  only  unwavering  friend, 
thougn  Charley  sometime*  "  struck  on  the  weaker 
side,"  except  Mr.  Milwood,  who  emphatically  disap- 
proved on  bioad  general  principles  of  condemning 
him  unheard. 

One  of  the  letters  Bob  had  to  copy  was  a  most 
insulting  one  to  Arthur  himself,  but  the  clerk  had 
indemnified    himself    for   the    violence    this   duty  had 


'■[I 


'  k 


1 1 


272 


THE  liAINPJiOOF  INVEMTION. 


(lone  to  luH  foeliii<?8  hynlippinj^  into  the  Hanie  envelope 
ttu  energetic  repu«litition  of  its  sentiments.  In  fact  he 
hml  (lechiied,  in  language  e<|ually  choice  and  forcible; 
that  it  was  a  '*■  thundering  big  li(!  from  first  to  last." 

Hob  had  ex[)ected  that  Stanton  would  prove  his 
supporter  in  Aithur's  (piarrel,  but  he  had  apparently 
an  uuaccountal.'le  objection  to  committing  himself. 
As  far  as  he  could  be  induced  to  express  his  views, 
Rol)  understood  that  he  had  some  doubts  of  the  cor- 
rectness of  Mr.  Norbury's  opinion,  and  he  evidently 
disliked  to  sit  in  judgment  on  the  case. 

One  of  the  few  persons  who  heartily  agreed  with 
Bob,  without  hesitation  or  reservation,  was  Maud  ; 
and  she  insisted  that  he  could  not  and  would  not  have 
done  such  a  thing  for  any  amount  of  money  that  could 
have  been  offered  him.  But  she  was  more  lenient  iu 
her  judgment  of  Mr.  Norbury  than  Bob  could  find  it 
iu  his  heart  to  be,  for  she  had  not  forgotten  certain 
unfounded  mistakes  of  her  own  iu  councction  with  the 
same  unfortunate  young  man,  and  she  had  a  readier 
appreciation  of  the  place  1'  secret  filled  in  the  life  of 
its  discoverer.  She  fancied  that  it  stood  to  him  in  the 
same  position  as  her  darling  schemes  of  "  painting 
some  really  good  pictures  "  did  to  her.  She  was  not 
far  wrong,  only  that  Mr.  Norbury  did  not  recognize 
any  higher  object  in  life  than  the  advancement  of  him- 
self and  his  family,  and  she  did. 


"^1  LOT  OF  LITTLE  ACCIDENTSr 


273 


It  \v!is  ptiiiifiilly  uii(l(Mii:il)lc',  however,  tliut  the 
uinjoiity  of  tho«e  who  knew  or  eared  anything  about 
tlu:  subject  judgetl  Arthur  giilty,  aiul  nearly  all  of 
them  referred  to  his  i)ai)er  oii  "■  Work  an«l  Wagijs  "  as 
a  straw  that  plainly  showed  the  direction  of  the  wind. 
r)ob  was  almost  beside  hiuiaelf,  and  otYended  so  many 
peo^jje  in  his  indignation  that  his  advocacy  seriously 
damaged  Arthur's  cause. 

Arthur  answered  his  uncle's  letter  with  an  emphatic 
denial  of  his  accustition,  but  he  did  not  condescend  to 
enter  into  details,  and  Mr.  Norbuiy  loudly  declared 
that  it  was  because  he  dared  not.  The  more  the 
matter  was  discussed,  the  stronger  grew  public  opin- 
ion against  him,  and  Bob,  anxious  to  rouse  him  to 
defend  himself,  kept  him  well  informed  on  all  that  was 
said  or  even  hinted  to  his  discredit.  At  last  The 
Adviser  took  the  matter  up,  professing  to  suggest 
some  palliating  circumstances  that  had  not  received 
fair  consideration,  l)ut  in  reality  only  blackening  the 
shaile  on  Arthur's  character.  Ui)on  this  Littleton 
sent  Lester  a  copy  of  the  paper,  and  Maud  wrote, 
begging  him  to  make  some  answer  to  the  aspersions 
cast  npon  him.  Accoidingly  Arthur  came  down  to 
Wharton  and  struck  terror  into  the  heart  of  The 
Adviser  by  threatening  an  action  for  libel,  but  he  still 
(lid  not  trouble  to  explain  what  he  could.  He  did  not 
conceive   that   the   public  had   any  right   to   demand 


\ 


m 


ill 


\  \ 


! 


;! 


274 


77//;  JiAiyj'IiOOF  INVENTION. 


explanations  from  liiin,  and  there  were  aojne  things  in 
the  accnsatiou  that  conld  not  readil.v  be  exphiined. 
The  apology  of  The  Adviser  did  not  nndo  the  mischief 
done,  and  Arthur  found  that  most  of  his  old  acquaint- 
ances were  disinclined  at  this  juncture  to  recognize 
him  if  any  decent  excuse  for  blindness  presented  itself, 
while  not  a  few  "  cut  him  dead,"  without  any  excuse 
at  all. 

But  a  deeper  mortification  was  yet  in  store  for  him. 
Not  half  understanding  the  grounds  of  the  <|uarrel, 
but  dimly  api)rehending  that  one  of  the  hated  masters, 
perhaps  the  most  hated  of  them,  believed  himself  to 
have  been  outwitted  bv  his  wliilom  manager,  the 
lowest  class  of  workingmen  claimed  Lester  as  their 
ally,  and  chose  the  most  unsuitable  times  and  places 
for  expressing  their  enthusiasm  in  his  cause.  One 
Sunday  as  the  people  were  coming  out  of  church,  he 
was  recognized  by  a  reguliir  mob  ''  of  the  baser  sort," 
who  were  assembled  outside  a  disreputable  tavern,  and 
was  greeted  with  a  chorus  of  cheers.  lie  hastily  made 
his  escape  down  a  side  street,  but  the  incident  afforded 
fresh  food  for  the  jeers  and  insinuations  of  bis  ene- 
mies. 

This  reacted  upon  Lester's  self-elected  advocates, 
and  in  their  indignation  they  assembled  outside  the 
Norbury  Mills  and  shouted  threats  and  curses  at  their 
master.     If   he  .had   shown   himself,  the  disturbance 


»M  LOT  OF   LITTLE  ACCIDENTSr 


275 


I 


iniulit  have  oikIchI  sorioiislv,  uiul  LoHter,  to  whom  the 
news  of  thij  riotouw  nssombhige  was  promptly  carried, 
was  so  iniicli  ahirmed  for  his  rchitive's  safety  that  he 
took  the  impniih3iit  step  of  j^oiiig  to  the  mills  himself 
and  entreating  his  overzealous  friends  to  disperse 
peaceably.  Mr.  Norbury  from  his  hiding-place  within 
the  factory  recognized  his  nephew,  saw  that  he  was 
haranguing  the  crowd,  and  momentarily  expected  that 
he  would  lead  an  attack  on  the  mills. 

The  clerks  were  watching  the  scene  too,  and  Maurice 
taunted  Bob  with  having  tried  to  defend  his  friend  so 
long.  "  lie  is  showing  himself  ni  liis  true  colors 
now." 

"  Ho  is  !  "  cried  Bob.  ''  Mark  my  words,  they  '11  all 
pack  off  in  a  minute  or  two,  and  there  '11  be  no  more 
bother.  1  wish  we  could  hear  what  he  is  saying. 
Look,  they  arc  beginning  to  move  off  already.  1  told 
von  they  would." 

"He  can't  jret  them  worked  up  to  the  point  of  try- 
ing to  break  into  the  mill !  "  said  Maurice.  "  No  doubt 
he  thought  he  could  do  anything  with  them,  but  he 
can't." 

"Maurice,"  shouted  Bob,  "  if  you  say  another  word 
of  that  sort,  I'll  —  horsewiiip  you!  Upon  my  honor 
I  will." 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  this,  for  Maurice  was 
head  and  shoulders  taller  than  his  foe,  but  Bob  made 


I 


I 


,3  'vE 


^'k. 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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ii 


276 


THE  liAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


lip  in  valor  and  determination  what  be  lacked  in 
Btreii2;th.  Happily  at  that  instant  a  diversion  was 
created  by  the  conduct  of  the  crowd  outside.  They 
evidently  were  making  up  their  minds  to  do  something. 

Mr.  Norbury  too  was  watching  them  with  breath- 
less suspense,  but  he  was  almost  disappointed  when 
the  demonstration  ended  with  three  loud  cheers  for 
''  Arthur  Lester,  the  friend  of  the  workingmcn  !  "  and 
a  tremendous  shout  of  "Down  with  Jim  Norbury!" 
After  thus  relieving  its  feelings  the  crowd  seemed  to 
melt  away,  and  in  no  long  time  the  street  was  as  quiet 
as  usual ;  but  Lester  felt  that  Wharton  had  grown  too 
hot  to  hold  him,  and  took  the  first  train  to  London, 
much  disgusted  that  circumstances  had  forced  him  to 
cast  in  his  lot  even  for  an  hour  with  tiiat  riotous  mob. 
It  had  been  composed,  as  he  knew  very  well,  not  of 
the  workingmcn,  but  of  the  lowest  substratum  of 
society  —  the  drunkards  and  thieves  and  ne'er-do-wells, 
of  which  Wharton  had  its  full  share. 

All  the  way  up  to  London  he  debated  the  question 
with  painful  anxiety  as  to  whether  his  interference  had 
been  necessary  or  not.  He  was  forced  to  conclude  at 
last  that  it  had  not,  for  after  all  the  disturbance  had 
never  reached  any  very  alarming  proportions,  and  the 
account  given  him  had  been  grossly  exaggerated. 
He  felt  that  he  had  put  himself  into  a  very  foolish 
position,  and  would  certainly  get  the  credit  of  enter- 


"^   LOT  OF  LITTLE  ACCIDENTS.'' 


277 


' 


taining  the  vulgar  and  despicable  ambition  of  ruling 
and  swaying  the  mob.  That  the  part  he  had  taken 
would  be  used  to  influence  opinions  against  him  he  had 
no  doubt  whatever,  and  he  returned  to  his  lodgings 
and  to  his  work  in  a  very  dejected  frame  of  mind, 
being  more  annoyed  with  himself  for  his  lack  of  judg- 
ment than  he  had  been  for  many  positive  sins. 

Before  his  journey  to  Wharton  he  had  been  meditat- 
ing a  great  work  on  the  social  problems  of  the  age, 
but  in  his  depression  he  doubted  his  powers  of  grap- 
pling with  the  subject,  at  least  till  he  had  gained 
larger  experience  of  men  and  life.  Accordingly  he 
laid  aside  the  notes  he  had  made  and  devoted  himself 
for  the  time  being  to  a  little  iiistory  of  the  "  Dyeing 
Trade,"  which  he  had  then  in  hand,  taking  much  com- 
fort from  the  fact  that  it  was  a  safe  subject,  even  if 
it  did  not  afford  much  scope  for  literary  brilliance. 


i 


; 


f\ 


chaitp:r  XXIV. 


DELUSIONS. 


STANTON  had  been  with  Elsie  for  some  time,  and 
after  he  had  left  her  she  sat  puzzling  over  an 
indefinable  change  that  had  taken  place  in  his  manner 
towards  her.  His  letters  were  as  full  of  glowing  prot- 
estations of  attachment  as  ever,  but  his  visits  had 
lately  been  shorter  and  less  frequent,  and  she  won- 
dered with  a  strange  pain  whether  he  really  loved  her 
as  he  said.  A  few  weeks  before,  on  her  first  return 
from  Devonshire,  he  had  urged  her  to  take  the  irrevo- 
cable step  and  become  his  wife  at  once.  She  had 
begged  then  for  a  short  delay  till  her  father  had  had 
time  to  regain  his  health  and  spirits  after  the  shock  of 
discovering  that  his  secret  had  been  stolen  from  him, 
and  Slanton  had  consented  most  unwillingly  ;  but  now 
it  was  he  who  suggested  delay.  Elsie  was  becoming 
every  day  more  hopelessly  in  his  power,  and  seeing 
this  he  tried  her  patience  to  the  utmost,  not  deliber- 
ately perhaps,  so  much  as  because  he  no  longer  feared 
to  lose  her.  Sometimes  he  came  to  Wharton  and 
never  tried  to  see  her,  pretending  that  her  father  was 
beginning  to  suspect  hlni,  and  that  he  dared  not  risk 
it.     On  tuose  evenings  Elsie  tasted  some  portion  of 

278 


»W»i»i!jf IJ.!!1. ! I II ya" 


DELUSIONS. 


279 


the  suffering  she  had  caused  Ralph  so  long.  But  on 
Stanton's  next  visit  she  was  too  happy  even  to  reproach 
him,  and  accepted  his  light  excuses  as  if  she  were 
thorouglilv  satisfied. 

Elsie  had  been  scarcely  more  than  a  child  when  she 
first  began  the  dangerous  game  of  playing  at  love,  but 
not  till  now  had  she  learned  what  love  is.  She 
would  gladly  have  hidden  from  Stanton  the  strength 
of  her  love  for  him,  but  in  spite  of  her  efforts  to 
keep  her  accustomed  place  as  queeu  he  recognized  his 
power,  and  seemed  to  take  a  cruel  pleasure  in  exacting 
homage  from  her. 

At  times  she  sighed  over  his  bitter  mockery  and 
evident  selfishness,  contrasting  it  with  Mr.  Monitor's 
good  humor  and  devotion,  but  she  rather  admired  her- 
self for  her  own  self-sacrificing  spirit,  and  this  helped 
to  support  her  in  the  trials  of  her  stormy  passion. 

Mr.  Monitor  had  lately  begun  to  press  her  very 
eariiestly  to  consent  to  a  speedy  marriage,  but  on  one 
excuse  and  another  she  contrived  to  put  it  off  till  her 
fatiior  told  her  curtly  that  he  was  "  tirrjd  of  her  shilly- 
slially  work,"  and  that  he  himself  had  written  to  ]\Ir. 
INIonitor,  telling  him  that  the  wedding  day  should  be  in 
the  first  week  of  December.  Elsie  sulked  and  pouted, 
but  lier  father  paid  no  attention  to  her,  and  Mr.  Moni- 
tor wrote  to  her  in  the  highest  spirits.  She  did  not 
yet  give  up   hope   of  a   reprieve,  however,  declaring 


i' 
i  if 


V     !■' 


^i    U 


1 


nil  \'n 


I 


fi 


Hi 


J 


280 


rilE  liALYPltOOF  INVENTION. 


that  she  could  not  possibly  make  her  preparations  in 
so  short  a  time.  In  the  mean  time  she  wrote  to  Stan- 
ton asking  him  to  come  to  Wharton  to  consult  with 
her  at  once.  He  made  souk;  excuse,  but  advised  lier 
to  make  all  possible  delay,  and  to  be  ready  for  llignt 
with  him  if  necessary. 

All  this  time  Mr.  Norbury  was  so  much  occupied 
with  his  efforts  to  discover  something  that  would  make 
his  nephew's  conviction  as  the  robber  of  his  secret 
certain,  that  even  his  interest  in  his  daughter's  ap- 
proaching marriage  did  not  divert  his  mind  for  a 
moment  from  the  subject  he  had  most  at  heart. 

The  Inglefield  firm  had  bought  their  patent  from  a 
3'oung  man  named  Warren,  living  at  Sht^llieid,  who 
claimed  to  have  invented  it  before  ever  hearing  of  Mr. 
Norbury's  patent  or  secret.  IMr.  Thersey,  who  had 
arranged  the  matter,  emphatically  declared  that  the 
Wharton  manufacturer  was  sayiug  what  he  knew  to 
be  untrue  when  he  accused  their  house  of  double 
dealing  with  regard  to  tiie  patent.  Mr.  Norbury 
insisted  that  the  young  man  from  Siieflleld  was  a  myth, 
and  held  positively  to  his  old  opinion  that  JNIr.  Thersey 
had  really  dealt  only  with  Arthur  Lester. 

Even  when  Mr.  Thersey  made  a  journey  to  Wharton, 
bringing  with  him  the  identical  young  man  whose  very 
existence  had  been  so  hotly  disputed,  Mr.  Norbury 
refused  to  be  convinced,  allirming  that  "he  might  be 


'iikMK 


DELUSIONS. 


281 


anybody  or  uobody."  Whereupon  the  inventor,  if 
inventor  he  were,  liecanie  warm,  and  tallied  loud  and 
big  of  his  patent  shoe  polishes,  and  waterproof 
dressings  for  leather,  and  copying  inks,  for  it  appeared 
that  he  liad  shown  a  knack  in  compounding  the  above 
useful  liquids  before  he  won  fame  and  at  least  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  fortune  by  his  wonderful  discovery  of 
the  '' Albatross"  preparation.  He  was  almost  as 
abusive  as  the  master  of  Norbury  Mills  himself  in 
his  efforts  to  convince  that  gentleman,  not  only  of  his 
own  independent  discovery,  but  also  of  the  infinite 
superiority  of  the  "  Albatross  "  to  the  "Rainproof." 
The  storm  in  the  private  office  raged  loud  and  high, 
while  in  the  outer  one  the  clerks  listened  eagerly  for 
some  crumbs  of  information.  Presently  there  was  a 
lull,  then  the  door  was  burst  open  and  Mr.  Thersey 
and  his  inventor  shot  through  the  long  room,  scattering 
glances  of  withering  disdain,  as  they  passed,  on  the 
unoffending  and  astonished  clerks.  Mr.  Norbury  pur- 
sued them,  calling  after  them,  in  a  voice  choked  with 
passion,  something  that  sounded  uncommonly  like 
"  Liars  and  thieves  !  "  but  thought  better  of  it  before 
he  reached  the  door  and  went  off  at  a  tangent  up 
the  stairs,  where  he  sought  to  regain  his  ruffled  com- 
posure by  a  lengthened  sojourn  in  the  "  prison." 

This  episode  created  a  diversion  in  Lester's  favor, 
and  several  of  those  who  had  been  most  positive  of 


i!  ! 


282 


THE  liAlNrnOOF  IWKNTION. 


his  guilt  began  to  feel  some  compunction  for  their 
strictures,  admitting  tliat  there  was  a  possibility  after 
all  that  he  had  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  thing.  Bob 
triumphed,  sang  paeans  of  victory,  and  wrote  coiigrat- 
ulations  to  Arthur  upon  the  satisfactory  clearing  up 
of  tlie  whole  affair.  He  was  a  little  too  quick,  how- 
ever. 

Elsie  Norbury,  struggling  against  her  fate,  caught 
at  a  straw  to  save  herself  from  her  obnoxious  marriage 
or  at  least  to  gain  time,  and  suddenly  accused  Mr. 
Monitor  of  collusion  with  Lester  to  rob  her  father  of 
his  secret,  artfully  suggesting  to  Mr.  Norbury  that  he 
had  arranged  the  meeting  between  her  cousin  and  his 
cousins  belonging  to  the  Inglefield  firm.  By  this  time 
the  master  of  the  mills  had  so  bewildered  himself  with 
increasing  cogitations  on  the  one  subject  that  he  was 
in  no  condition  to  judge  of  the  probability  or  improb- 
ability of  anything.  He  promptly  fell  in  with  Elsie's 
suggestion  and  revoked  his  consent  to  her  marriage 
until  Mr.  Monitor  could  clear  himself. 

That  gentleman,  who  had  been  happily  employed 
since  his  fiancee  s  visit  in  making  such  alterations  in 
the  house  and  grounds  as  she  had  suggested,  thought 
it  best  to  make  his  answer  to  her  extraordinary  letter 
in  person.  Accordingly  the  day  after  he  received  it, 
he  set  out  for  Wharton. 

Miss  Norbury  tried  to  excuse  herself  from  the  dis- 


I 


'i 


DELUSIONS. 


283 


tlicir 

after 

Bob 


agrcr!.al)lo  duty  of  seeing  hltn,  but  he  would  take  no 
excuse,  for  lie  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of  giving 
her  uj)  without  a  struggle.  She  did  not  even  offer  him 
her  hand,  but  he  kissed  her  as  usual  and  sat  down 
beside  her  on  the  sofa,  prepared  to  argue  the  case 
point  by  point.  Elsie  was  alarmed  at  his  quiet  air  of 
determination,  for  she  had  thought  that  he  would  have 
])een  so  much  annoyed  by  her  letter  that  he  would  give 
her  up  at  once. 

"What  is  all  this  nonsense,  my  dear?"  he  began, 
placidly  spreading  out  her  letter.  "  I  can't  under- 
stand what  vou  mean." 

"  I  mean,"  said  Elsie,  "  that  I  can't  and  won't 
marry  a  man  for  vvliom  I  have  lost  my  respect." 

"  My  dear  girl,  what  have  you  got  into  your  head?  " 
he  asked  quietly.  *'  What  do  you  fancy  I  have  said 
or  done  ?  " 

"I  have  already  explained,  Mr.  Monitor,  and  I 
particularly  begged  you  to  accept  my  decision  as  final. 
It  will  be  best  for  both  of  us  if  you  will  not  insist  on 
explanations  that  must  be  as  painful  to  you  to  hear 
as  for  me  to  make." 

Mr.  Monitor  had  an  air  of  patience  at  this  moment 
that  would  have  sat  well  on  the  patriarch  Job.  "  I 
am  very  sorry,  Elsie,  to  grieve  you,  but  I  am  so  con- 
vinced that  a  little  reasonable  explanation  will  set  all 
right  between  us  that  I  must  beg  you  to  tell  me  what 


'■f 


11  ■ 


I 


284 


THE  liALVI'noOF  INVENTION. 


I    I 


'?  I  ! 


you  mean.  Come,  my  deiir,  in  the  lirst  place  wliat  Is 
this  troublesome  secret  that  seems  to  have  worried  you 
8o  much?" 

Elsie  briefly  explaini'd  that  her  father  had  just  ms- 
covered  that  her  (!ou.siii,  Arthur  Lester,  had  sold  the 
business  secret  to  the;  IMonitors  of  luj^lclicld. 

Mr.  Monitor  looked  ^ravc  but  said:  ''I  am  very 
sorry,  Elsie  ;  I  should  not  have  thought  your  cousiu 
would  have  done  such  a  thing ;  but  as  for  my  having 
anything  Ifo  do  with  it,  the  idem  is  out  of  the  (juestion. 
I  have  not  met  Mr.  Monitor  of  Iiiglclield  for  ten  years, 
and  I  have  not  the  least  interest  in  his  business  in  any 
way,  excei)t  that  he  has  borrowed  a  small  sum  of 
money  from  me.  How  could  such  a  fancy  enter  your 
brain,  my  darling?"  and  Mr.  Monitor  seemed  to  think 
the  matter  effectually  settled. 

But  Elsie  drew  herself  up  and  again  nsserted  that 
"  she  would  never  nuirry  a  mai;  whom  she  could  not 
respect ;"  and  when  Mr.  Monitor  attempted  to  set  forth 
in  detail  the  absurdity  of  her  charge,  she  began  to 
weep  and  sob  hysterically,  mingling  with  her  tears 
bitter  lamentations  on  her  terrible  disappointment. 
"  I  had  thought  you  the  best  of  men,  Henry,"  she 
murmured,  "  and  it  is  too  hard  lo  find  that  you  are  no 
better  than  the  rest." 

"  Elsie,"  he  said  at  last,  "  if  you  go  on  in  this  way, 
I  shall  begin  to  think  that  you  have  been  trifling  with 


DELUSIONS, 


285 


me  nil  tbcso  mouths.  To  tiie  best  of  ray  belief  I  iim 
now  just  what  I  was  vvhen  you  promised  to  be  my 
wife,  and  you  have  not  the  slij^htest  excuse  for  wish- 
iui;  to  break  off  om*  engagemeut.  As  I  uuderstaiul 
the  matter  an  engagement  can  only  be  V''oken  by  tlie 
consent  of  both  pju'ties,  and  I  give  you  fair  warning 
I  siiall  not  lightly  give  up  my  rights." 

The  young  lady  opened  her  eyes.  "  Do  you  mean," 
she  said  at  last,  "  that  I  must  marry  you  against  my 
will?" 

"I  mean  that  unless  you  can  show  reasonable 
grounds  for  your  change  of  mind,  I  shall  expect  you 
to  keep  your  wc  .1.  What  should  you  have  thought  if 
I  had  sent  you  a  letter  saying  I  fancied  you  had  begun 
to  pick  people's  pockets,  and  that  therefore  I  preferred 
to  break  off  the  engagement.  It  sounds  a  little  fool- 
ish, does  n't  it,  Elsie?  but  indeed  your  letter  has  rather 
the  same  appearance." 

Elsie  smiled  at  the  suggestion  but  answered  coolly, 
"  I  should  certainly  not  have  tried  to  prevent  your 
breaiiing  it  off  in  the  case  you  suppose." 

"  No,  I  dare  say  not;  you  are  such  an  impulsive 
little  woman,  you  would  never  have  spoken  to  me 
again ;  but  I  will  not  thr  w  away  my  happiness  Cor  a 
trifle,  and  I  shall  expect  you  to  keep  your  word,  for 
I  know  that  long  before  Tuesday  fortnight"  (the 
wedding    had    been    postponed   to    the   week   before 


K 


286 


THE  RAINPllOOF  INVENTION. 


CliriHtmns)  "  you  will  have  quitv.  forgotten  tluH  ubsurd 
liltU'  faiicv.  Let  ua  think  no  more  about  it.  Look,  I 
liuve  brought  you  something  thiit  I  tliink  will  look  well 
with  your  white  dress.  Do  you  cure  for  pearls,  Elsie, 
or  would  you  rather  have  something  brighter?" 

But  Elsie  pushed  the  jewel  case  away,  and  swept 
from  the  room  like  a  wronged  and  indignant  queen, 
turning  to  say  as  she  reached  the  door,  "Mr.  Moni- 
tor, do  you  think  you  can  bribe  me  to  be  your  wife?  " 

Mr.  Monitor  made  no  answer,  but  lay  back  among 
the  sofa  pillows  with  an  anxious  expression  on  his 
usually  tranquil  face.  He  settled  it  at  last  that  Elsie 
was  surely  bent  on  trying  her  power  over  hira  for  mere 
mischief,  and  being  weary  with  his  long  journey  he 
fell  peacefully  asleep.  He  was  presently  awakened 
by  Mr.  Norbury's  heavy  tread,  and  he  started  up  in 
bewilderment. 

The  master  of  the  mills  was  evidently  in  a  bad 
humor,  and  to  his  visitor's  indescribable  astonishment 
he  reiterated  his  daughter's  groundless  charge.  Mr. 
Monitor  was  so  much  surprised  that  a  successful  man 
of  business  should  fall  a  victim  to  so  singular  a  delu- 
sion that  he  made  very  little  effort  to  convince  him  of 
his  error.  He  was  a  man  of  some  imagination,  and 
he  very  soon  tvolved  a  simple  theory  to  account  for 
the  extraordinary  behavior  of  the  Norburys.  He 
concluded  that  the  manufacturer  must  be  on  the  verge 


DEL  USIOSS. 


287 


of  nnothcr  BurioiiH  illiicsH,  and  that  an  halluciiiatiuii 
aj^ainat  himself  had  taki'ii  so  strong  possession  of  him 
that  he  had  talked  to  Elsie  as  if  his  dishonesty  were 
absolutely  proved.  Under  these  circunistan(^es  ho 
judged  it  well  to  take  leave  of  him  and  his  dnugliLer 
at  once,  contenting  himself  with  one  more  confident 
avowal  that  his  innocence  would  soon  be  as  clear  as 
daylight  to  them,  and  that  in  si)ite  of  all  he  shouUi 
claim  Elsie's  hand  on  the  appointed  day.  He  left  the 
jewels  with  Mrs.  Norbury,  requesting  her  to  present 
them  to  her  daughter  in  his  name. 

P^lsie  was  puzzled  with  the  curious  turn  of  events, 
and  began  to  wish  she  hud  taken  the  more  certain, 
honorable,  and  straightforward  course  of  acknowledg- 
ing her  preference  for  Stanton,  especially  as  her  duplic- 
ity must  soon  be  discovered  now  in  any  case.  She 
shrank  extremely,  however,  from  the  thought  of  telling 
Mr.  Monitor  to  his  face  that  she  had  so  long  deceived 
him,  and  her  poor  contrivance  to  escape  from  the  en- 
tanglement in  which  she  was  involved  had  only  added 
to  the  confusion.  She  was  beginning  to  find  as  surely 
as  Ralph,  that  "the  way  of  transgressors  is  hard." 

She  wrote  an  account  of  the  whole  affair  to  Stanton 
in  great  perplexity  and  distress,  and  by  return  of  post 
received  a  reply  from  him,  promising  to  be  with  her 
on  the  Saturday  or  Sunday  before  the  day  appointed 
for  her  wedding,  and   to   have   ready  some   plan  of 


i: 


i 


n    II  1 


Mil; 


288 


THE  BAINPEOOF  INVENTION. 


escape  for  her.  She  wondered  that  he  did  not  make 
an  effort  to  see  her  sooner,  but  she  tried  to  believe  thiit 
it  must  be  impossible,  for  again  and  again  he  had 
assured  her  of  his  love. 

She  was  surprised  and  vexed  to  receive  a  kind  letter 
from  Mr.  Monitor  by  the  same  post,  exactly  in  his 
usual  style.  Evidently  he  did  not  intend  to  set  her 
free,  and  when  she  wrote  to  Mark  again  she  begged 
him  to  arrange  matters  in  some  way  so  that  she  could 
avoid  another  scene  with  Mr.  Monitor,  for  she  shrank 
more  and  more  from  telling  hira  the  truth. 

Mr.  Norbury  was  now  as  vehement  and  noisy  in  his 
anger  against  his  prospective  son-in-law  as  against  his 
nephew,  and  it  was  not  surprising  that  a  distorted  ver- 
sion of  the  tale  spread  through  the  town  completely 
discrediting  the  pretensions  of  the  young  man  from 
Sheffield,  and  making  Arthur's  character  seem  blacker 
than  ever  before. 

As  some  compensation  for  this  general  condemna- 
tion on  the  small  stage  of  Wharton,  Lester  was  winning 
considerable  applause  on  a  larger  one,  for  his  story 
was  a  great  success,  and  he  was  beginning  to  liope 
that  at  no  distant  date  he  might  claim  the  fulfillment  of 
Maud's  promise.  Ralph  had  been  behaving  well  since 
his  mother's  death  and  had  solemnly  given  his  consent 
to  his  sister's  engagement,  so  that  all  obstacles  to 
their  marriage  seemed  likely  to  be  speedily  removed. 


■  %> 

I.  ; 


m 


CHAFrp:R  XXV. 


4;:m 


TRYING   TO    BE   TIIIKD. 

FOR  several  weeks  after  his  mother's  death  Ralph 
Warrington  persistently  refused  Elsie's  invita- 
tions ;  but  at  lust  the  temptation  proved  too  strong, 
and  the  poor  moth  went  to  singe  his  wings  once  more. 
To  do  Miss  Norbnry  justice,  at  this  time  she  had  noth- 
ing but  the  kindest  intenti(^ns  towards  Ralph.  She 
pitied  him  greatly  in  his  deep  sorrow,  the  more  because 
people  whispered  that  his  mother's  death  lay  at  his 
door,  and  the  young  man's  face  had  a  strange,  wild 
expression  at  times,  as  if  his  remorse  was  greater 
than  he  could  bear. 

Elsie  tried  to  induce  Maud  to  come  with  her  brother, 
but  that  young  lady  resolutely  declined  to  respond  to 
her  advances,  for  she  regarded  Miss  Norbury  as  a  kind 
of  evil  genius,  and  directly  or  indirectly  traced  all  her 
troubles  to  her.  Ralph  was  more  forgiving  for  the 
past  and  more  grateful  for  the  present.  In  Miss  Nor- 
bury's  society  the  load  of  his  care  and  sin  seemed  to 
float  away,  and  his  life  was  once  more  lighted  with  a 
gleam  of  hope.  Elsie's  kindness  now  was  prompted 
by  nothing  but  pity,  and  a  vague  desire  to  make  repa- 

289 


1^: 


i 


mi 


u 


290 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


I 


*:il 


ration  for  the  wrong  which  she  had  lately  begun  to  see 
that  she  had  done,  but  it  was  unsafe  and  unwise. 
Neither  of  them  was  strong  enough  to  resist  tempta- 
tion, and  before  they  knew  it  Ralph  was  making  and 
Elsie  was  listening  to  the  old  foolish  speeches.  She 
tried  to  put  an  end  to  the  scene  when  she  found  where 
he  was  wandering,  but  the  mischief  was  done.  He 
begged  her  almost  with  tears  to  have  pity  on  him,  and 
in  her  desire  to  soothe  him  at  any  cost,  Elsie  admitted 
that  she  was  not  going  to  marry  Mr.  Monitor  after  all. 
She  did  not  tell  him  about  Stanton,  but  allowed  him  to 
fancy,  if  he  chose,  that  his  own  hopes  were  not  so 
wild  and  out  of  the  question  as  he  had  thought. 

He  left  her  at  last  with  a  sudden  and  almost  rough 
embrace.  He  had  never  so  far  presumed  before. 
Elsie  was  both  frightened  and  angry,  and  resolved  that, 
come  what  might,  it  should  be  the  last  time  she  would 
try  to  be  kind  to  Ralph  Warrington.  But  she  soon 
forgot  him  in  dismal  thoughts  of  her  own  affairs. 

Since  his  visit  Mr.  Monitor  had  succeeded  in  con- 
vincing her  father  that  he  had  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  loss  of  his  secret,  whatever  might  be  the  truth 
with  regard  to  Lester  and  the  Inglefield  Monitors. 
Mr.  Norbury  was  now  ashamed  of  his  suspicions  and 
had  told  her  that  very  morning  that  he  wished  her  to 
write  and  tell  Mr.  Monitor  she  was  sorry  for  having 
doubted  him.     Elsie  had  said  nothing,  but  had  written 


;' 


TBYINQ   TO  BE   THIBD. 


291 


to  Stanton  instead,  entreating  him  to  save  her  and 
begging  him  to  make  some  excuse  for  coming  to 
Wharton. 

She  watched  for  the  postman  all  the  next  day  with 
devouring  anxiety,  but,  though  Mr.  Monitor  wrote, 
Stanton  did  not,  and  miserable  doubts  of  him  assailed 
her.  To  reassure  herself  she  got  out  all  the  letters  she 
had  treasured  up  so  carefully,  and  read  and  reread  his 
ardent  vows  and  eager  hopes  for  the  future.  Lan- 
guage seemed  to  fail  him  in  his  attempts  to  express 
his  feelings,  especially  in  the  earlier  letters,  and  Elsie 
tried  to  persuade  herself  that  the  later  ones  were  only 
less  fervent  because  the  first  relief  of  knowing  that 
she  was  his  had  passed.  But  she  sighed  as  she  locked 
them  again  in  her  desk,  and  then  wondered  at  her  own 
vague  dissatisfaction  —  what  more  could  she  desire? 

She  started  nervously  as  some  one  knocked  at  the 
door.  It  was  only  the  servant  saying  that  "  Master 
wanted  to  speak  to  her  in  the  study." 

She  had  been  afraid  that  it  might  be  Mr.  Monitor 
again,  for  she  expected  him  to  reappear  at  any  time. 
Mr.  Norbury  was  pacing  up  and  down  amongst  his 
shelves  of  little-used  books,  but  as  soon  as  his  daugh- 
ter entered  he  seated  himself  in  an  armchair. 

"Have  you  written  to  Mr.  Monitor,  Elsie?"  he 
demanded. 

"  No,  father." 


i  J 


M 


m 


i 

I  ■ 


ti  I  I  ■ 


:' 


292 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENTION 


"Well,"  he  said,  "you  ought  to  have  done  it. 
You  and  I,  Elsie,  acted  very  much  lii<e  a  couple  of 
fools.  I  can't  think  what  we  were  doing  to  fancy 
such  things." 

"  It  is  n't  fancy,  father.     They  are  true." 

"Well,  but,  Elsie,  take  the  facts  of  the  case. 
There  is  no  doubt  in  the  world  that  Henry  Monitor  is 
verj^  fond  of  you." 

"What  then?" 

"  Why,  then,  he  certainly  is  anxious  to  marry  you  ; 
you  know  that ;  and  when  you  are  his  wife  any  injury 
to  your  interests  will  equally  injure  his  own.  Don't 
you  see?  I  can't  think  what  possessed  you  to  make 
such  a  foolish  suggestion,  or  me  to  im.agine  that  there 
was  anything  in  it.  The  only  way  I  can  account  for 
it  is  that  I  was  so  worried  just  then  with  Thersey  and 
that  Sheffield  fellow  that  I  hardly  knew  what  I  was 
doing.  However,  there's  no  real  mischief  done.  I've 
written  him  a  very  ample  apology,  and  you  must 
write  at  once  to  tell  him  you  '11  be  ready  for  your 
wedding  on  the  day  fixed.  Sit  down  here  and  write 
to  him  at  once." 

"But,  father  I  am  not  satisfied  that  he  had  no 
hand  in  the  theft.  I  should  as  soon  suspect  him  of  it 
as  Arthur  any  day." 

"Folk  say  there's  no  fool  like  an  old  fool,  but  I 
think  a  young  one  is  worse,"  muttered  the  exasperated 


ll 


TRYING    TO  BE   TIIIBD. 


293 


manufacturer  under  his  breath,  adding  aloud  in  an 
argumentative  tone,  "No  man  in  his  senses,  Elsie, 
will  go  out  of  his  way  to  commit  a  crime  that  is 
dourly  against  his  own  interests.  Now  if  Henry 
Monitor  had  robbed  me,  it  would  be  the  same  as 
robbing  you,  and  in  the  long  run  that  would  come  to 
robbing  himself.  It  was  different  with  Arthur ;  he 
had  everything  to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose  ;  besides, 
we  all  of  us  know  that  he  is  capable  of  doing  a  mean 
and  dirty  trick." 

' '  1  think,  father,  you  're  always  a  little  hard  on 
Arthur,"  protested  Elsie. 

"  Oh,  I  know  that  young  fellow  made  regular  fools 
of  you  women ;  your  mother  is  just  as  bad  over  him, 
but  I  'm  not  going  to  talk  about  him  now.  I  '11  teach 
him  to  steal  other  people's  papers  by  a  few  years  in 
jail.  He  '11  not  be  so  ready  to  break  into  places  after 
that." 

"Father,  you  don't  mean  that  you'll  have  him 
tried?" 

"  Yes,  I  do,  my  dear,"  replied  Mr.  Norbury  with  a 
kind  of  grim  jocularity;  "and  I  don't  doubt  that 
he  '11  be  convicted.  I  find  I  've  lost  a  number  of 
other  papers  besides  those  about  the  secret.  I  'm 
going  to  set  the  detectives  on  his  track  to-morrow. 
But  that 's  not  our  business  now.  You  sit  down  and 
write  your  letter ;  and  mind  you  put  it  nicely." 


^1 

III 

van 

if 


j'ii 


I 


Wk 
|iil 

:'!'' 


.i!i 


I 


294 


THE  hainpboof  invention. 


"  Father,  I  don't  want  to  be  his  wife  ;  I  told  him  so 
the  other  day." 

"What  has  come  over  you,  Elsie?  You  are  a 
happy  and  a  lucky  woman  to  have  the  chance,  and 
now  you  quarrel  with  your  good  fortune  like  a  baby." 

"  He  is  so  old  and  so  stout  and  so  fussy,"  lamented 
Elsie. 

"  Nonsense  !  he  *11  make  you  a  very  good  husband. 
I  only  hope  you  won't  plague  him  to  death.  You  are 
engaged  to  him,  and  I  won't  allow  any  more  nonsense." 

"You  are  cruel,  father,"  said  Elsie,  beginning  to 
sob  bitterly.  "You  don't  mind  whether  I  am  happy 
or  miserable." 

"  I  do,  Elsie,  my  great  desire  is  for  your  happiness." 

"I've  said  I  won't  marry  him  and  I  can't." 

"That's  nonsense,  Elsie  —  you  mean  you  won't." 

"Well,  papa,  I  surely  have  a  right  to  choose  for 
myself." 

"  No,  you  have  not,  when  you  have  been  engaged 
to  him  for  nine  months.  Besides,  Mr.  Monitor  is  just 
the  man  to  make  a  girl  like  ^  ou  happy.  You  will  be 
able  to  travel  and  enjoy  yourself  as  much  as  you 
choose.  I  dare  say,  if  you  wish,  he  will  take  a  house 
in  London  for  the  season." 

"  I  don't  need  to  marry  for  money,  father,  and  I 
really  will  not.  You  might  be  anxious  to  get  me  off 
your  hands,  and  I  'm  sure  you  will  be  lonely  enough 
when  I  am  married." 


WBBmm 


TRYING   TO  BE   THIUD. 


295 


Ih« 


him 


so 


are    a 
L'e,  and 
[mbj." 
men  ted 

isband. 
ou  are 
sense." 
'iug  to 
bappy 

uess." 

j't." 

se  for 

?aged 

i  just 

ill  be 
I  you 
louse 

nd  I 

B  off 


'Ugh 


"If  you  dislike  the  thought  of  being  his  wife  so 
much,  it  was  very  foolish,  very  wrong  of  you,  to  make 
the  promise  you  did." 

"  I  admit  the  mistake,  the  wrongdoing,  if  you  pre- 
fer to  call  it  so,  but  it  would  only  be  making  matters 
worse  to  allow  myself  to  be  forced  into  a  marriage 
with  him." 

"  You  must,  you  really  must  keep  your  word, 
Elsie." 

"  I  will  not,  father,"  she  replied  defiantly. 

"Elsie,  Elsie,  you  are  forgetting  yourself.  Re- 
member that  you  are  speaking  to  me  !  " 

"  I  do  remember.  I  have  no  wish  to  be  disrespect- 
ful, but  I  can't  marry  Henry  Monitor." 

"I  am  surprised  at  you,  disappointed  in  you, 
Elsie ! " 

"  It's  cruel  of  you,  papa,"  wailed  Elsie  from  behind 
her  handkerchief.     "  It 's  cruel  to  talk  so." 

"Attend  to  me  for  a  moment,  P^lsie !  "  said  Mr. 
Norbury  sternly. 

"  I  should  be  miserable  !  I  know  I  should  !  Oh, 
dear,  what  shall  I  do?     What  shall  I  do?" 

"Be  quiet!     Listen!" 

Renewed  sobs  were  the  only  reply. 

Mr.  Norbury  rose,  removed  the  handkerchief  by  a 
not  too  mild  exertion  of  force,  and  said  briefly  :  "If 
you  are  quite  determined  not  to  be  reasonable,  Elsie, 


nil 

i 


m 


M 


296 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


i'  i 


and  to  break  your  word,  you  must  write  and  tell  him 
so  ;  but  if  you  do  you  need  not  expect  me  to  treat  you 
any  longer  as  my  daughter.  You  sliall  not  disgrace  us 
all  and  go  unpunished.  I  will  give  you  half  an  hour 
to  think  the  matter  over,  and  as  you  decide  so  will  I." 
So  saying  Mr.  Norbury  left  her  to  meditate  on  the 
choice  before  her.  Her  first  proceeding  was  to  write 
a  lasty  but  full  account  to  Stanton  of  all  that  had 
passed,  concluding  with  a  most  pathetic  entreaty  to  him 
to  come  at  once  if  he  cared  for  her.  Then  she  scribbled 
a  short  note  to  Mr.  Monitor,  putting  off  her  marriage 
for  another  week,  declaring  that  she  found  it  impossible 
to  be  ready  when  she  had  promised  ;  and  afraid  lest 
her  father  should  still  insist  on  her  keeping  to  the 
letter  of  her  word,  she  hurried  out  and  posted  both 
her  notes  with  her  own  hand.  In  her  childish  days 
Elsie  had  discovered  that  if  she  could  not  manage  her 
father  by  guile  it  was  impossible  to  overcome  him  by 
force,  and  she  was  afraid  even  now  of  being  married 
to  Mr.  Monitor  against  her  will,  for  she  dared  not 
resist  her  father  in  his  anger.  That  she  had  provoked 
him  almost  beyond  endurance  it  was  easy  to  see,  or  he 
would  never  have  threatened  to  disown  her.  That 
threat  gave  her  a  good  deal  of  uneasiness  in  connec- 
tion with  her  real  intentions,  but  she  put  it  out  of  her 
mind  and  tried  to  comfort  herself  with  the  thought  of 
Stanton  and  the  happiness  in  store  for  her. 


I  1 


TRYING    TO   BE   THIRD. 


297 


When  licr  fiithcr  returned  she  was  lying  back  in  her 
clitiii-  pale  and  tearful,  but  submissive  as  a  lamb  or 
a  martyr. 

"Where  is  your  letter?"  demanded  Mr.  Norbury. 
"  (live  it  to  me  and  1  will  post  it  for  you." 

"1  have  posted  it,  father,"  she  responded  feebly. 

"  I  wished  to  see  it ;  what  did  vou  sav?  " 

''  1  said  what  you  wished,  that  I  would  marry  him 
on  the  Tuesday  in  Christmas  week." 

"The  Tuesday  before  Christmas  you  mean." 

"No,  father,  1  have  done  nothing  yet;  oven  my 
wrdding  gown  is  n't  ordered  ;  and  1  suppose  if  I  must 
be  married  I  shall  have  to  get  something  to  wear." 

"  Well,  Elsie,"  replied  her  father  with  an  air  of  un- 
utterable weariness,  "  I  only  hope  3'ou  have  not  con- 
trived to  disgust  the  man  altogether  with  your  whims 
and  your  follies.  Why  could  you  not  do  the  thing 
decently  while  you  were  about  it?  It  is  no  one's  fault 
but  your  own  that  yo  i  arc  not  ready.  I  gave  you 
moiicy  for  your  clothes  a  month  ago." 


M   -t 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


TEA    AND    TALK. 


THE  cloud  that  had  lifted  at  the  time  of  Mrs. 
Warrington's  death  had  begun  to  settle  down 
again  over  the  dreary  little  house  where  Maud  lived 
her  lonely  life.  Arthur  had  written  begging  her  to 
marry  him  at  once,  but  the  promise  she  had  made  to 
her  mother  prevented  her  doing  so.  Ralph  needed 
her  now  more  than  ever,  though  she  could  do  little  to 
save  him,  and  people  openly  pitied  the  unprotected 
girl  shut  up  night  after  night  in  the  same  house  with 
her  raving,  senseless  brother.  They  predicted  some 
awful  tragedy,  but  Maud  never  lost  her  courage  and 
presence  of  mind,  and  she  was  fast  gaining  a  strange 
power  over  Ralph,  even  in  his  fits  of  drunken  rage. 
More  than  once  she  had  even  dare:'  to  take  away  from 
him  the  wine  or  spirits  with  which  he  was  maddening 
himself,  but  she  could  not  prevent  his  going  elsewhere 
for  the  poison  he  craved,  and  it  seemed  at  times  as  if 
he  were  past  hope.  But  he  was  not  past  praying  for; 
and  Maud,  like  her  mother,  spent  many  a  long,  lonely 
hour  crying  to  God  for  mercy  on  the  poor  sinner  who 
had  sunk  so  low,  and  trying  to  rest  her  faltering  faith 


TEA  AND   TALK. 


299 


f  Mrs. 

e  down 

d  lived 

lier  to 

ade  to 

Heeded 
ttle  to 

>  tec  ted 

ie  with 
some 

e  and 

rauge 

rage. 

from 

ming 

'liere 
IS  if 
for ; 
Qely 
iv^Iio 
xith 


on  the  eternal  promise  of  Him  "  witli  whom  is  no 
varitibleness,  neither  shadow  of  turning."  Even  in  the 
bhickest  darkness,  she  strove  to  remember  tliat  the 
ahnighty  power  of  God  is  pledged  to  answer  prayer, 
and  that  the  infinite  love  of  the  Father  longs  for  the 
return  of  the  most  wretched  of  his  children.  She 
thought  often  in  these  days  of  the  beautiful  story  of 
the  prodigal  son,  and  she  besought  God  to  have  mercy 
not  only  on  her  own  poor  wanderer,  but  on  the  many 
others  who  were  trying  to  satisfy  themselves  on  the 
swine's  husks. 

She  did  not  know  it,  but  her  prayers  brought  back  a 
blessing  on  herself,  for  though  she  hated  Ralph's  sin 
wi^ii  all  her  soul,  she  had  never  loved  him  in  the  days 
of  his  strength  and  pride  as  she  did  now  that  she  had 
to  think  for  him,  and  care  for  him,  and  wrestle  night 
and  day  for  his  salvation.  She  was  learning  a  new 
patience  under  her  heavy  burden,  and  she  who  not  so 
long  ago  had  loudly  asserted  her  rights,  and  demanded 
to  be  treated  with  consideration,  was  willing  at  last  to 
set  herself  aside.  She  bore  with  Ralph's  irritability, 
forgave  his  rudeness,  and  was  uncomplaining  in  his 
perversity,  but  still  tlie  reward  for  which  she  labored 
seemed  ever  further  in  the  distance.  Ralph  still 
rushed  headlong  to  destruction  ;  and  Maud  thanked 
God  that  his  mother  was  at  rest. 

Even  Arthur's  letters  at  this  time  were  not  cheering. 


n 


I!  < 


n 


:1  ii 


800 


77/ A'  liAINVItOOF  INVENTION. 


for,  though  ho  was  winning  n  nuinc  and  a  placo  among 
writcra,  hin  uncle's  uccMisations  had  cast  a  shadow  over 
him,  and  peoi)le  wlio  liked  his  books  spoke  slightingly 
of  himself,  not  troubling  to  know  the  truth,  but  care- 
lessly passing  on  the  slander,  regardless  of  the  damage 
they  were  doing.  Of  course,  as  slander  will,  it  grew 
amazingly  as  it  traveled  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and 
Arthur  soon  found  that  good  and  careful  people  looked 
askance  upon  him,  and  tried  to  keep  their  sons  and 
daughters  at  safe  distance  from  his  influence.  Tliere 
were  circles  even  in  what  is  commonly  called  "good" 
society  that  admitted  him  readily  enough,  and  ap- 
parently thought  no  worse  of  him  for  bis  vaguely 
smirched  reputation,  but  he  did  not  like  the  thought  of 
bringing  Maud  to  choose  her  friends  from  among  such 
associates  as  these,  and  he  preferred  rather  to  live  much 
alone  than  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  those  whose  every 
view  of  life  was  different  from  his  own.  Yet  the 
experience  he  gain-l  at  this  time  was  destined  to 
stand  him  in  good  stead,  and  to  make  him,  to  the  end 
of  his  days,  a  more  oaincst  as  well  as  a  more  broadly 
charitable  man.  In  increasing  his  sympathy  with  his 
fellow  mortals,  no  one  can  say  how  much  it  increased 
his  usefulness.  In  a  very  deep  and  far-reaching  sense 
there  is  truth  in  the  old  song,  " 'T  is  love,  'tis  love, 
'tis  love  that  makes  the  world  go  round."  Maud  and 
he  were  learning  the  same  lesson  in  different  ways. 


TEA  AND    TALK. 


301 


ong 
>ver 


'ffiy 


Mttiid  robcUcd  at  it  for  Arthur,  though  nhv  hu1»- 
inittod  for  horHelf.  Sho  felt  it  hard  to  foigive  the 
cruel  wrong  which  he  was  HufTeriug,  and  longed  to  be 
able  to  help  and  comfort  him.  Yet  it  was  in)i)o88il)lo 
to  leave  Ralph,  and  equally  impossible  at  present  to 
arrange  any  plan  by  which  sh^  could  do  p.s  Arthur 
desired.  In  his  hours  of  sober  reason,  Ralph  declared 
himself  bound  to  Wharton  for  the  time  at  least,  and 
no  argument  would  induce  him  to  allow  Lester  to  try 
to  And  a  situation  for  him  in  London,  where  they  could 
all  be  together.  If  Maud  said  much,  her  brother  in- 
variably declared  that  he  was  ready  to  consent  to  her 
leaving  him,  and  that  he  would  take  lodgings  some- 
where for  himself.  This  always  silenced  her,  for  she 
knew  her  intluence  had  still  some  weight  with  liim, 
though  she  thought  with  pain  that  it  might  have  been 
infinitely  greater,  if  she  had  been  less  selfish  and  will- 
ful years  ago.  Nothing  should  induce  her  to  break 
her  promise  to  her  mother,  even  if  the  keeping  of  it 
sacrificed  all  her  earthly  happiness,  but  she  still  hoped 
against  hope,  and  deferred  telling  Arthur  that  she 
must  give  up  everything  for  Ralph. 

Fortunately  even  in  the  saddest  lives  come  little 
gleams  of  sunshine,  tha!  serve  at  least  to  prove  that 
darkness  does  not  pervade  the  whole  universe,  and 
that  above  the  clouds  the  heavens  are  light  and  glori- 
ous still.     It  was  only  a  trifle,  nothing  more  than  a 


Hi 


ll  I' 


I 


pi   ' 

lil  I' 

i 


ii! 


:  le 


i3:i 


302 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENIION, 


few  words  of  kindly  appreciation  of  her  work  from  a 
stranger,  and  the  request  for  a  little  sketch  to  give  as 
a  present  to  a  child  ;  but  Maud  read  and  reread  the 
letter,  and  began  that  instant  to  build  wondrous  air 
castles  on  those  words  of  praise,  and  on  the  increased 
price  offered  for  the  picture. 

She  still  did  a  little  work  for  Mr.  Norbury,  but  the 
cards  paid  her  better  now,  for  her  quaint  dogs  and 
kittens  were  making  friends,  and  the  "Wharton  sta- 
tioner, for  whom  she  had  worked  at  first,  had  kindly 
sent  some  specimens  of  her  art  to  a  London  firm,  thus 
procuring  her  an  order  which  it  would  take  several 
months  to  execute.  If  it  had  not  been  for  this,  the 
little  household  would  have  sometimes  lacked  both 
bread  and  shelter,  for  Ralph's  earnings  were  all 
absorbed  by  some  mysterious  debt  of  which  Maud 
could  only  guess  the  nature.  Tie  was  ashamed  to  live 
thus  on  his  sister's  toil,  and  often  made  magnificent 
promises  for  the  future,  but  she  scarcely  expected 
anything  of  him  now,  and  was  not  surprised  when  no 
practical  result  followed  his  grand  talk. 

Sometimes  for  want  of  a  better  confidant  Maud  told 
her  pleasures  or  her  woes  to  the  playful  kitten,  which 
sat  so  often  for  its  portrait,  but  on  this  occasion  she 
felt  so  great  '^  longing  for  human  sympathy  that  she 
despatched  a  note  to  Katie  Mil  wood,  requesting  her 
company  at  tea.     Ralph  hud  told  her  he  should  be  late 


TEA  AND  TALK. 


303 


|i'k  from  a 
^o  give  as 
reread  the 
idrous  air 
increased 

5  but  the 
t^ogs  and 
J'tou   sta- 

ad  kindly 

fi''m,  thus 
■  several 
this,  the 

ked  both 

were    all 

!h  Maud 

d  to  live 

gnificent 

'xpected 

s'hen  no 

ucl  told 
>  which 
on  she 
lat  she 
ig  hei- 
>e  late 


that  night,  and  she  well  knew  what  it  meant,  but  she 
hummed  softly  to  herseli  as  she  prepared  for  her 
guest  and  thought  over  a  subject  for  her  picture. 

The  little  parlor  looked  verj  cheerful  that  evening 
in  spite  of  its  shabby  carpet  and  scanty  turniture,  for 
the  changing  firelight  glorified  all  defects,  as  merry 
laughter  sometimes  beautifies  a  plain  face ;  and  Katie 
had  no  intention  of  exaggerating  when  she  exclaimed 
gayly,  "What  a  lovely  little  room  this  is,  Maud!  It 
just  suits  you." 

"  Does  it?"  said  Maud,  looking  with  at  least  equal 
admiration  at  her  bonny  dark-eyed  visitor,  sparkling 
with  life  and  good  spirits.  "  Run  upstairs,  dear,  and 
take  off  your  ulster  while  I  finish  setting  the  table." 

Katie  was  not  long  upstairs,  and  while  Maud  com- 
pleted her  preparations  for  the  feast  she  sat  in  a 
rocking-chair  by  the  fire,  stroking  the  frolicsome  kitten 
and  chattering  with  all  her  miglit.  Maud's  quiet  face 
brightened  as  she  listened  to  her  lively  nonsense,  but 
Katie  was  using  her  eyes  as  well  as  her  tongue,  and 
stoi)ped  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  an  anecdote  about 
one  of  Charley's  pranks  to  say,  "  Is  anything  fresh 
the  matter,  Maud  ?  Do  tell  me  to  be  quiet,  if  I  worry 
you." 

"  No,  the  only  thing  that  has  happened  lately  is 
something  pleasant ; "  and  Maud  told  her  about  the 
order  she  had  received,  and  discussed  various   ideas 


[.i\,. 


I'  I'- 


if- 


i 


1 1 


% 


w 


■;  ■ '1 


m 


m 


m 

I 


304 


THE  BAIN  PROOF  INVENTION. 


she  had  for  the  picture.  They  were  dow  sitting  oppo- 
site each  other  at  the  little  roiiud  table,  and  the  soft 
light  from  a  lamp  haug'ng  overhead  brought  out  the 
contrast  between  theni  in  a  highly  picturesque  fashion. 
Katie's  dusky  hair  and  mobile  face  made  Maud  look 
paler,  fairer,  and  more  self-contained  than  usual,  but 
not  less  beautiful.  Her  friend  always  declared  that 
"  it  put  her  quite  out  of  conceit  with  her  own  mouth 
and  nose  and  complexion  to  look  at  Maud,"  but  she 
did  not  need  to  distress  herself,  for  hers  was  one  of 
those  faces  that,  defying  half  the  rules  of  beauty,  was 
distinctly  pretty  still. 

Maud  never  talked  to  Katie  about  Ralph,  though 
she  had  been  a  witness  of  his  terrible  degradation  on 
the  night  Mrs.  Warrington  died,  but  she  had  spoken 
of  her  trouble  about  Arthur,  and  Katie  now  asked 
suddenlv :  ''Did  vou  hear,  Maud,  that  Mr.  Norburv 
is  going  to  prosecute  Mr.  Lester?  It  is  an  awful 
shame,  I  think  !  " 

"  No,  I  had  not  heard.  Arthur  told  me  once  that 
he  thought  if  the  thing  came  to  a  trial  it  might  be 
really  better  for  him." 

"  Does  he  think  so?  I  am  so  glad.  Mr.  Littleton  is 
in  a  terrible  way  about  it.  Charley  says  that  he  means 
to  give  up  his  situation  if  Mr.  Norbury  really  has  Mr. 
Lester  taken  up." 

Maud  looked  dismayed  at  the  word.     "I  wish  you 


TEA  AND   TALK. 


305 


would  ask  your  father,  Katie,  what  they  would  do  if 
Mr.  Norbury  made  them  believe  him  guilty." 

"If  I  were  you,  Maud,  I  should  beg  him  to  go 
somewhere  out  of  the  way.  It  would  be  dreadful  if 
he  had  to  go  to  prison.  That  is  why  I  told  you.  I 
should  think  he  would  go  if  you  asked  him." 

Maud  shook  her  head.  "I  am  sure  he  would  not 
run  away  for  auN'thing.  Every  one  would  believe  it 
thtn.  But,  oh,  I  do  hope  he  will  not  have  to  be  tried  ' 
He  has  had  trouble  enough  already  that  he  does  not 
deserve.  I  wonder  Mr.  Norbury  can  be  so  wicked. 
He  would  have  died  that  day  if  they  had  left  him  locked 
up,  as  he  seems  to  think  they  ought  to  have  done." 

"  Mr.  Littleton  says  it  makes  him  almost  wish  they 
had.  I  think  Mr.  Norbury  must  be  one  of  the  mean- 
est men  that  ever  lived.  Do  you  know  that  Miss 
Nor))ury  is  going  to  be  married  in  ChrivStmas  week? 
We  have  all  got  invitations  to  the  '  At  Home'  in  the 
evening.  Shall  you  go?  Oh,  I  forgot !  of  course  you 
won't,"  said  Katie  with  a  quick  glance  at  Maud's 
black  dress.  "  I  shall  really  be  glad  when  she  is 
'  married  and  done  for,'  as  the  saying  is.  I  am  tired 
of  hearing  people  wonder  whether  she  will  marry  this 
man  or  the  other." 

"So  am  I,"  agreed  Maud.  "  I  wonder  whether  she 
will  go  to  live  in  Devonshire?" 

"I  think  so.     Charley  either  is  or  pretends  to  be 


306 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


m  I 


broken-hearted.  He  is  a  most  absurd  boy ;  it  was 
such  nonsense  ever  to  fancy  he  cared  for  her !  Mr. 
Littleton  "  — 

"  O  Katie,  you  don't  mean  to  tell  me  that  he  cares 
anything  about  the  wedding  !  "  said  Maud,  laughing. 

Katie  gave  her  a  funny  look.  "  I  don't  know, 
Maud,  perhaps  he  does.  You  know  he  pretty  often 
comes  in  —  to  see  Charley,  and  then  he  sings  generally 
something  funny.  Last  time,  however,  he  brought  a 
most  doleful  song  about  a  poor  broken-hearted  lover, 
and  as  he  did  n't  know  it  very  well  he  nearly  killed  us 
all  with  laughing.  It 's  very  high  in  parts  and  he  can- 
not get  the  high  notes  in  his  natural  voice,  so  he  kept 
dropping  into  a  kind  of  falsetto." 

"  Does  he  sing  so  very  badly  ?  "  asked  Maud  absently, 
still  thinking  of  Arthur  and  the  trouble  impending 
over  him. 

"  Surely,  Maud,  you  must  have  heard  him.  He 
thinks  so  much  more  of  the  words  than  the  tune  that 
he  spoils  everything  with  putting  such  an  immense 
amount  of  expression  into  it.  But  you  ought  to  be  a 
friend  of  his,  for  he  admires  you  and  Mr.  Lester  more 
than  any  one  else  he  knows ;  at  least  that 's  what  he 
told  me  on  Mondav." 

"  Nonsense,  Katie,  I  know  better." 

"Is  n't  it  a  pity  he  is  so  very  odd  looking?"  con- 
tinued Katie.     "  He  really  is  good  and  kind." 


^^.-mmm 


!    it    was 
ler !     Ui\ 

he  cares 

ighing. 

t  know, 
tty  often 
generally 
'•ougbt  a 
ifl  lover, 
filled  us 

lie  can- 
he  kept 


bsentl 


Lv, 


pending 


n.     He 

ae  that 
unense 
3  be  a 
I'  more 
hat  he 


con- 


TEA  AND   TALK. 


307 


"  Yes,  very,"  said  Maud,  thinking  gratefully  of  his 
many  attempts  to  aid  poor  Ralph.  "  lie  cannot  help 
his  appearance,  and  after  all  he  is  n't  so  very  plain." 

"  Well,  he  has  no  need  to  make  himself  look  queerer 
than  he  is,"  said  Katie  severely.  "  His  neckties 
really  fidget  me,  and  tiiose  insane  white  waistcoats 
too !  They  are  all  very  well  for  summer,  but  at  this 
time  of  year  they  look  really  silly." 

"I  never  noticed  his  ties;  what  is  the  matter  with 
them  ? " 

"  Everything  !  the  size  and  the  shape  and  the  color, 
and  the  way  they  arc  put  on.  He  looks  all  necktie 
sometimes  !  I  declare  I  '11  make  Charley  tell  him  what 
I  think  of  them." 

"•  I  would  n't,  Katie,  if  I  were  you,"  advised  Maud 
seriously. 

"  Well,  he  has  no  right  to  sit  for  hours  every  week 
in  our  parlor  dressed  up  in  things  like  that.  People 
should  consider  other  people's  feelings ;  and  if  they 
must  be  remarkable  they  might  stay  at  home." 

"  Poor  Mr.  Littleton  !  Do  you  consider  his  feelings, 
Katie  ?  If  you  '11  forgive  me  for  saying  so,  I  hope 
you  won't  take  lessons  from  Miss  Norbury." 

"  What  do  you  mean?  It  isn't  my  fault.  I  wish 
he  had  n't  any  feelings  to  consider.  It  is  so  inconven- 
ient when  people  will  come  where  they  are  not  wanted ; 
you  can't  tell  them  to  go  away,  for  fear  of  being  uncivil. 


,if<- 


I 


I! 


m 


in. 


ti 


I{ 


^''  ■' 


m 


!'!  "ill 
t 


liii 


■;! 


1!  I'ii 


m 


w 


308 


THE  liAlNPliOOF  INVENTION. 


but  I  do  wi8h  it  was  proper  to  speiik  the  plain  truth 
sometimes.  Now  Mr.  Littleton  really  is  becoming  a 
regular  plague  to  me.  You  may  laugh  if  you  like, 
Maud,  but  it 's  the  fact ;  1  am  weary  of  the  sight  of  him." 

"  I  always  liked  him,  though  I  admit  he  has  some 
peculiarities  ! " 

"I  should  think  he  has!  It's  all  very  well  your 
liking  him;  so  did  I  until  he  began  to  —  like  me.  At 
least  1  suppose  he  likes  me,  though  he  is  always  talk- 
ing about  Miss  Norbury.  1  declare  I  don't  know  what 
he  means  ;  it 's  perfectly  ridiculous  !  If  I  was  sure,  I 
could  simb  him,  but  it  would  be  too  absurd  to  take  any 
notice  if  he  only  intends  to  be  polite." 

"Poor  Katie!  I  pity  you;"  but  Maud  smiled  in 
spite  of  herself. 

"  It  really  is  n't  fair.  Charley  is  always  teasing  me 
about  him,  and  he  really  is  so  ridiculous,  Maud,  you 
don't  know  !  Then  Ruth  lectures  me  for  encouraging 
him,  as  if  I  wanted  to  encourage  him,  indeed  !  And 
yet  I  can't  treat  the  man  as  if  he  had  done  anything. 
I  wish  he  would  go  to  Egypt,  or  the  North  Pole,  or 
somewhere.  I  am  tired  of  him !  "  and  Katie  looked 
really  injured. 

"  I  dare  say  he  does  n't  intend  to  tease  you  ;  you 
should  take  his  attentions  as  a  compliment." 

"But,  Maud,  you  wouldn't  like  it  yourself;  you 
know  you  would  n't." 


IL 


!ffi.iaiM8acBg-''LiiiH'  vvvtamBk 


TEA  AND   TALK. 


809 


("»  tnjtli 
^iJ   like, 
|8  soiue 


lU 


Maud  did  not  express  an  opinion  on  this  delicate 
matter,  but,  inviting  Katie  to  talve  her  favorite  rock- 
ing-chair again,  })egan  to  remove  the  things  from  the 
tal)le.  Katie,  however,  declined  to  play  visitor  any 
longer,  and  helped  her  to  wash  the  cupi  and  saucers 
before  they  settled  down  for  a  good  long  chat  by  the 
fire.  The  conversation,  for  some  unaccountable  rea- 
son, soon  traveled  back  again  to  the  peculiarities  of 
Mr.  liittleton,  and  they  were  discussing  his  remarkable 
/,ea!  in  I.  I.  A.  affairs,  when  a  loud  knock  sounded 
through  the  house. 

Katie  started,  fancying  that  it  was  Ralph,  for  she 
could  not  overcome  a  decided  nervousness  with  regard 
to  him  since  she  had  seen  him  so  beside  hin'self ;  but 
Maud  carried  a  lamp  into  the  little  hall  and  quietly 
opened  the  door.  A  young  man  much  muffled  up 
stood  on  the  step  ;  he  asked  for  Mr.  Warrington,  and 
on  hearing  he  was  out,  inquired  anxiously  where  he 
was  likely  to  be  found. 

Maud  could  answer  truly  that  she  did  not  know,  but 
she  could  guess,  and  she  had  no  mind  to  send  a 
stranger  to  seek  him  in  anv  of  his  accustomed  haunts. 
"Could  you  call  early  to-morrow  morning?"  she 
asked.     "  He  is  almost  sure  to  be  in  then." 

The  man  looked  doubtful  and  said :  "I  am  afraid 
I  shall  have  to  leave  WhartC/u  to-night.  I  am  sorrv 
he  is  out ;  he  promised  to  meet  me  at  the  station.  I 
wanted  to  see  him  on  very  important  business." 


310 


THE  BAINPltOOF  INVENTION. 


"Can  I  give  him  a  message  for  you?"  asked 
Maud. 

"  No,  thank  you  —  at  least  —  I  hardly  know  what 
to  do.  Perhaps  I  had  better  take  my  chance  of  seeing 
him  in  the  morning.  Indeed,  I  must  see  him,"  said 
the  stranger,  apparently  in  a  most  painful  state  of 
irresolution.  At  last,  after  meditating  on  the  steps 
for  two  full  minutes,  he  said,  "Good  night!"  But 
Maud  had  hardly  closed  the  door  before  he  was  back 
again  tu  ask  whether  Mr.  Warrington  had  ever  said 
where  Mr.  Stanton  stayed  when  he  was  in  town. 

Maud  did  not  know,  but  Katie  came  out  of  the 
parlor  to  inform  him  that  Mr.  Stanton  would  be  likely 
to  be  heard  of  at  a  certain  house  in  Milsom  Street, 
nearly  at  the  other  end  of  the  town. 

The  man  uttered  an  exclamation  of  impatience, 
and  then  begged  to  be  directed  to  the  street  in  ques- 
tion, as  he  was  a  stranger  in  Wharton.  At  last  he 
hurried  off,  ard  the  girls  returned  to  the  fireside  to 
discuss  his  many  oddities  of  manner  and  appearance. 

Charley  called  for  his  sister  about  nine  o'clock,  and 
they  had  not  been  gone  many  minutes  when  Ralph 
returned,  much  soberer  than  he  usually  was  after  he 
had  been  out  all  the  evening. 

Maud  was  uneasy  about  her  strange  visitor,  fearing 
lest  he  should  lead  Ralph  into  further  trouble,  and  was 
much  inclined  to  say  nothing  about  him.     But  perhaps 


Utj 

wd 

rej 
di 


TEA   AND    TALK. 


311 


asked 


what 


seeiiiff 


Ralph  owed  him  money,  or  was  in  his  power  in  some 
way,  so  she  told  him  the  whole  story,  and  Ralph, 
remarking,  "  I  thought  I  might  find  him  here,"  imme- 
diately took  up  his  hat  again  and  left  the  house. 

Maud  sat  up  even  later  than  usual,  but  he  did  not 
return  till  early  morning.  He  was  up  and  ready  for 
breakfast  in  good  time,  but  he  looked  miserable  and 
haggard,  though  he  did  not  seem  to  have  been  drink- 
ing. Strange  to  say,  it  almost  worried  her  more  on 
that  account,  for  she  could  not  understand  what  had 
made  him  so  late,  if  he  had  not  been  with  his  friends 
as  usual ;  but  Ralph  deigned  no  explanation,  and  long 
experience  had  taught  her  that  it  was  useless  to  ask 
for  any.  All  day  a  wretched  foreboding  of  coming 
evil  haunted  her,  but  she  tried  to  think  that  it  was 
groundless,  for  Ralph  not  only  spent  the  evening  at 
home,  but  was  unusually  kind  and  affectionate. 


'•  :i 


i 


I 

i!  I 


!i 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


T  R  ()  D  1)  K  N    UNI)  E  II    FOOT. 


rr^HE  Warringtous  were  tit  breakfast  the  next 
-^  iiioruing  when  another  man  called  to  see  Ralph. 
He  was  a  dark,  ill-favored  fellow,  rather  showily 
dressed,  and  INIaud  had  a  strong  feeling  of  repulsion 
towards  him  from  the  moment  she  saw  him.  She  was 
not  impressed  any  more  favorably  by  his  familiarity 
of  manner,  thou<ih  he  evidently  intended  to  make  him- 
self agreeable.  She  could  not  think  he  had  any  right 
to  claim  friendship  with  the  once  fastidious  Ralph, 
and  making  some  slight  apology  she  left  him  standing 
in  the  little  hall  while  she  went  to  tell  her  brother  he 
was  wanted. 

Ralph's  face  darkened  but  he  said  impatiently, 
"Why  didn't  you  bring  him  in,  Maud?  Didn't  he 
tell  yon  he  was  a  friend  of  mine?"  and  with  an  nn- 
successful  endeavor  to  hide  his  dislike  and  disgust, 
Ralph  went  out  himself  to  bring  in  his  guest.  "  Come 
to  the  table,  Mr.  Lewson,"  he  said  with  a  hospitality 
that  was  plainly  forced  and  reluctant.  "  Maud,  I 
dare  say  Mr.  Lewson  will  take  a  cup  of  coffee." 
•  Watching   them    all   the    time   with    his   keen,    sly 

312 


TJiODDEN   UNDER   FOOT. 


313 


le   next 
Ralph, 
showily 
pulsion 
iie  was 

lilijirity 
ve  him- 

ly  right 
Ralph, 
andinjr 

her  he 

ieutiv, 
n't  ho 
n  un- 
^giist, 
Come 
tality 
1(1,   I 

slv 


black  eyes,  Mr.  Lcvvson  accepted  the  invitation,  re- 
marking that  he  had  been  so  anxious  to  catch  \V:ir- 
rinjjton  before  he  went  to  business  that  ho  had  not 
breakfasted  before  ho  came  ont.  He;  made  a  very 
heartv  n)oal,  and  Maud  was  forced  to  sit  at  the  table 
doing  the  honors,  while  Mr.  Lowson  plied  her  with 
coarse  compliments. 

Ralph  listened,  restless  and  gloomy,  bnt  made  no 
effort  to  silence  the  man. 

The  fact  was  that  he  dared  not  offend  him,  and 
Maud  seeing  this  forgave  him  for  his  apparent  indif- 
ference, and  even  for  his  sake  condescended  to  answer 
]\Ir.  Lewson  whenever  his  remarks  admitted  of  an 
answer.  But  Ralph's  patience  failed  at  last,  and  inter- 
rupting his  friend  in  the  midst  of  an  elaborate  speech 
he  demanded,  "Haven't  vou  finished  vonr  breakfast 
yet.  Lewson?  I  haven't  much  time  to  spare.  I  ought 
to  be  at  the  oflice  now  and  I  know  my  sister  is  busy." 

Maud  gave  him  a  warning  look,  but  Lewson  pushed 
away  his  plate,  saying  with  a  short  laugh,  "  Perhaps 
you  would  not  be  in  such  haste  if  you  knew  what  my 
business  was  about." 

"  The  old  story,  I  suppose,"  said  Warrington 
wearily.     "You  want  money?" 

"Yes,  I  do  ;  and  understand  this,  I  won't  be  put  off 
any  longer.  If  you  don't  pay  me  a  hundred  or  two 
at  once,  I  '11  —  I  '11  sell   you   up  !     Not   that  there  's 


314 


THE  ItAINPPOOF   INVENTION. 


rruch  here  worth  selling,"  he  added,  looking  con- 
temptuously round  the  l)iire  little  pjirlor. 

"  Is  that  what  vou  came  this  morning  to  sav?" 

"  Yes,  it  is.  I  did  n't  want  to  be  hard  on  you, 
Ralph,  for  the  sake  of  all  the  jolly  evenings  we  have 
spent  together,  but  I  can't  atford  to  wait  forever. 
You  know  I  'm  always  ready  to  do  a  great  deal  for  a 
friend  "  — 

Maud  had  risen  from  tiie  table  but  had  not  left  the 
room.  The  conversation  had  a  painful  interest  for 
her,  and  she  lingered  in  spite  of  her  annoyance  with 
Mr.  Lewson  ;  but  at  this  moment  Ralph  turned  sud- 
denl}',  saying,  "  I  h.  lost  my  poeketbook  somewhere 
upstairs.  Will  you  kindly  see  if  you  can  find  it, 
Maud?" 

She  knew  it  was  only  an  excuse  to  get  her  out  of 
the  way,  but  she  went  upstairs  as  he  asked,  and  sat 
listening  to  the  murmur  of  voices  in  the  room  below 
with  miserable  anxiety.     Where  would  it  all  end? 

She  saw  Mr.  Lewson  leave  the  house  at  last,  and 
ran  down  to  find  Ralph  with  his  head  bowed  down  on 
the  table  in  an  attitude  of  despair.  "Oh,  what  is 
it?"  she  asked. 

Ralph  lifted  up  his  head  suddenly  and  looked  her 
straight  in  the  face.  "  Don't  worry,  Maud,"  he  said, 
"there  is  a  way  of  getting  over  this  diflTiculty,  and 
Lewson  has  agreed  to  wait." 


•■^-:>v:-:^^"'''t^-'— - 


TllODDEN   UNDEU   FOOT. 


316 


"  What  is  the  matter  then?" 

"The  matter?  Every thinj;;  I  am  tired  of  it  all, 
Maud.  I  would  give  anytliing  if  I  could  start  my  life 
fresh  again,  but  —  there  's  no  use  in  wishing  —  I  must 
go  on  to  tlie  end  as  1  have  begun,  1  suppose." 

Maud  threw  her  arms  round  his  neek,  and  clinging 
to  him  said  earnestly,  "  Don't  say  that,  llalph  !  You 
could  turn  back  now  and  start  fresh  again,  if  you 
would." 

"  You  don't  know  anything  about  it,  Maud,"  said 
Kalph,  looking  into  her  fair,  pure  face  with  eyes  that 
were  sunken  and  bloodshot. 

"  I  do,  Ralph;  I  have  tried  it.  I  know  one  can't 
undo  the  past,  but  God  helped  and  strengthened  me 
as  soon  as  ever  I  really  asked  him,  and  he  will  help 
you  too.  I  know  he  will,  and  mother  knew  it.  She 
never  gave  up  hope." 

"  I  am  sold  to  the  devil,  body  and  soul,  Maud.  I 
tell  you,  you  don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about. 
I  cannot  help  myself  now.  If  temptation  comes  in 
my  way,  I  have  no  choice  but  to  make  a  beast  of  my- 
self. If  I  promised  you  to-day  to  give  it  up,  it  would 
be  of  no  use,  for  I  should  break  my  word  before 
night." 

Maud  no  longer  looked  him  in  the  face,  but  she  still 
clung  to  him  lovingly.  "  Ralph,"  she  said,  "  I  have 
heard  that  there  are  places  where  people  like  you  can 


Ji"- 


316 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


1:i 


ili 


be  cured.  I  would  work  night  and  day  to  keep  you 
there  if  only  you  would  go." 

Alas !  even  yet,  though  he  complained  so  bitterly  of 
the  chains  that  bound  him,  Ralph  Warrington  did  not 
really  recognize  his  own  helplessness.  He  shook  him- 
self free  from  his  sister's  embrace,  saying  shortly, 
"  Nonsense,  Maud,  what  are  you  thinking  of?  I'm 
not  quite  a  lunatic  yet,  though  I  look  like  one  to  be 
staying  talking  here  when  I  ought  to  have  been  at  the 
office  hours  ago." 

So  saying  he  hurried  ofif,  but  before  he  settled  down 
to  his  work  he  had  to  undergo  anoth  )r  interview  with 
his  employer.  He  could  give  no  satisfactory  account 
of  himself,  and  as  this  was  the  second  time  within  the 
week  that  he  had  been  excessively  late  Mr.  Norbury 
declared  that  his  patience  was  exhausted,  and  that  he 
would  not  require  his  services  after  the  end  of  the 
month.  It  was  a  blow  to  the  young  man,  but  he  did 
not  feel  it  nearly  so  much  as  he  had  felt  his  degrada- 
tion from  his  former  position.  He  uttered  neither 
protest  nor  entreaty,  but  held  up  his  head  and  looked 
down  upon  his  master  with  quiet  disdain.  No  sooner 
was  he  at  his  desk,  however,  than  a  fit  of  passionate 
anger  swept  over  him.  He  could  scarcely  remain 
silent  under  his  keen  sense  of  Mr.  Norbury's  injustice, 
but  he  did  it,  comforting  himself  with  the  hope  of 
vengeance. 


! 


TRODDEN   UNDER   FOOT. 


317 


ceep  you 

tterly  of 
did  not 
•ok  him- 
hortly, 
n    I'm 
le  to  be 
a  at  the 

d  down 
ew  with 

account 
tliin  the 
Aorbury 
that  he 

of  the 

he  did 
3grafl;i- 
noither 
looked 
sooner 
iiouate 
•emain 
Jstice, 
pe   of 


He  had  no  appetite  at  noon  and  stayed  at  his  desk 
to  make  up  for  his  lost  time,  but  Bob  and  Charley 
Milwood  had  both  brought  lunch  with  them,  and  they 
kept  up  such  an  incessant  conversation  that  Ralph 
found  it  diflicult  to  attend  to  his  work,  especially  when 
they  began  to  talk  about  the  great  event  of  the  follow- 
ing week  —  Miss  Norburv's  wedding. 

"  They  say  Mr.  Monitor  is  awfully  rich,"  said 
Charley. 

'^  I  dare  say  he  may  be.  Pernaps  that  is  why  Mr. 
Norbury  is  so  anxious  that  she  should  marry  him," 
remarked  Bob. 

"  It 's  a  shame  !  He  is  old  enough  to  be  her  father, 
and  so  stout  and  ugly." 

"  I  don't  call  him  ugly,"  said  Bob  combatively,  "  and 
I  don't  suppose  he  is  more  than  forty-five." 

"  He  must  be  fifty  or  fifty-five  at  least." 

"  Well,  it 's  an  unprofitable  subject  for  speculation," 
returned  Bob.  "  Do  you  know  I  heard  a  queer  story 
the  other  day  ?     But  I  did  n't  believe  it." 

"What  was  it?" 

"  I  heard,  but,  as  I  said  before,  I  did  n't  believe  it ; 
and.  in  fact,  I  don't  now,  even  if  she  is  going  to 
marry  Mr.  Monitor  "  — 

''  I  wish  you  would  go  on." 

"Control  your  impatience,  my  dear  boy.  You 
should  never  try  to  hun*y  any  one  who  is  going  to  tell 


utt»aM«z^awen:v^XE:-^s.^;3^3RS«sa£a*«i83tsuaB 


i' 


it 


I'l^ 


i  ill* 


w 


318 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


you  anything.  It  loses  time  in  the  end,  because  no 
one  likes  to  be  interrupted,  and  it  takes  one's  thoughts 
from  the  subject  in  hand.  For  instance,  just  now  I 
was  on  the  point  of  telling  you  what  I"  — 

"Goon,  do!  and  I'll  never  interrupt  3'ou  again," 
promised  Charley.  "I'm  sure  I  should  have  said 
nothing  now,  if  I  had  known  what  a  sermon  you  'd 
give  me." 

"  I  'm  glad  to  hear  it.  You  will  learn  after  a  while 
to  puy  proper  respect  to  your  elders." 

"  Go  on.  Bob,  will  you?"  repeated  Charley. 

"All  in  good  time.  As  I  was  saying — I  don't 
believe  it  a  bit  —  but  I  heard  that  Mr.  Norbury  threat- 
ened to  turn  Miss  Elsie  out  of  the  house  if  she  would  n't 
take  Mr.  Monitor." 

"  What  a  brute  !  "  exclaimed  Charley  indignantly. 
"  I  wonder  that  he  can  treat  her  badly ;  and  Mr. 
Monitor  must  be  just  as  bad." 

"  Remember,  I  ion't  believe  a  tvord  of  it,"  said  Bob. 
"  More  fool  me,  for  repeating  such  stuff.  Mr.  Moni- 
tor iri  n't  that  sort  of  man,  I  am  sure." 

"  I  can't  see  why  she  siiould  wish  to  marry  him  !  " 

"  Why  should  n't  she?  ihat  's  what  I  'd  like  to  know. 
Tastes  differ,  and  tliough  you  may  think  that  if  you 
were  a  girl  you  would  n't  marry  him,  there  are  hun- 
dreds of  girls  that  would  n't  object,  so  why  should 
Miss  Norbury  ?  " 


TRODDEN   UNDER  FOOT. 


319 


laiise  no 
I'lougJits 
It  now  I 

[again," 
'■e   said 
you  'd 

^  while 


don't 
threat- 
->uld  n't 

lantlj. 
i   Mr. 

I  Rob. 
Moni- 

i!" 
:now. 
'  you 
hun- 
ould 


"  He  is  n't  good  enough  for  her." 

"  I  don't  know  that.  I  think  he  is,  and  too  good  ! 
She  ought  to  have  a  husband  who  would  n't  be  easily 
shocked.  She  seems  so  like  an  angel  till  one  gets  to 
know  her,  that  a  man  who  was  n't  used  to  the  ways  of 
this  wicked  world  would  probably  die  of  disappoint- 
ment !  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  cried  Charley,  aghast  at  this 
daring  heresy.     "  She  is  n't  so  bad  as  that,  Bob." 

"  She  is  n't  anv  too  good.  I  don't  believe  she  cares 
for  any  one  but  herself,  neither  Mr.  Monitor,  nor  Dr. 
Thay,nor"  — 

Ralph  could  endure  no  more.  Rising  suddenly 
from  his  scat,  he  took  Bob  by  the  shoulders  and  gave 
him  a  good  shake,  saying,  "  If  you  dare  to  say 
another  word,  I  '11  thrash  you  for  it.  Bob  ! "  but  not 
waiting  to  see  whether  his  threat  had  taken  eflfect,  he 
pushed  Littleton  «,way  and  hurried  out  of  the  oflice. 

Bob  looked  vexed,  but  it  was  with  himself  more 
than  with  Warrington.  "  I  suppose  that  we  have  no 
business  to  talk  about  her,  Charley,"  he  said,  "  and 
I  'm  sorry  I  did ;  but  if  ever  any  man  was  ruined  by 
a  woman,  that  man  is  Ralph  Warrington.  She  likes 
to  drive  fellows  half  mad,  and  she  has  succeeded  with 
him  to  her  heart's  content,  I  should  think." 

"1  don't  think  it's  fair  to  blame  her  for  War- 
rington's taking  to  drink." 


Jii 


II   > 


320 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


ii  I 


I    ^ 


V 


M",  81 


iMil 


■■:iS''i 

■  v. 


■*:■ 


'*  She  has  given  hira  a  pretty  good  lielpiiig  hand  on 
the  road  to  ruin ;  but  she  does  n't  care  what  happens 
as  long  as  folk  make  a  fuss  over  her.  For  my  part,  I 
don't  envy  Mr,  Monitor  now,  though  I  was  once  as 
great  a  fool  about  her  as  — you  are,  Charley."  With 
this  parting  thrust,  Bob  buried  himself  in  a  news- 
paper and  refused  to  be  drawn  into  further  conversa- 
tion, for  he  had  a  strong  impression  that  he  had 
already  said  more  than  was  right  or  wise  or  kind. 

In  the  mean  time  Ralph  had  gone  to  soothe  his 
ruflled  feelings  in  the  open  air.  As  it  happened,  he 
had  not  walked  far  before  he  met  Miss  Norbury  her- 
self hurrying  out  of  the  church  which  she  had  been 
helping  to  decorate.  Dr.  Thay  was  a  few  yards 
behind,  evidently  determined  to  overtake  her,  but 
when  Warrington  met  her  she  was  alone.  She  flushed 
hotly  at  the  thought  of  their  last  meeting,  but  looked 
him  full  in  the  face  and  passetl  him  without  the  least 
sign  of  recognition.  Ralph  was  so  much  astonished 
that  he  stood  staring  after  her,  utterly  forgetful  of 
where  he  was,  till  the  little  doctor  jostled  against  him 
in  his  haste.  As  Ralph  looked  down  he  was  maddened 
to  see  a  smile  upon  his  face,  and  angrily  concluding 
that  it  was  "at  his  expense,  he  demanded  fiercely, 
' '  What  are  you  laughing  at,  sir  ?  How  dare  you  be 
so  impertinent  ?  " 

"  I  was  not  laughing."    The  doctor  pressed  on,  and 


TRODDEN  UNDER  FOOT. 


321 


[land  on 

iiappens 
part,  I 

once  as 
With 
news- 
>nversa- 

lie   had 
kind, 
the   his 
ued,  he 
117  her- 
1    been 

yards 
!!•,    but 
flushed 
looked 
i  least 
nished 
^il   of 
t  hini 
lened 
udinfif 
•cely, 
u   be 


while  Warrington  still  stood  watching  them,  Elsie 
turned  and  waited  for  him  ;  then  they  both  laughed. 
Feeling  himself  publicly  mocked  and  insulted,  Ralph 
threw  all  prudential  considerations  to  the  winds,  and, 
leaving  his  work  at  the  oilice  to  take  care  of  itself,  he 
strode  off  through  the  muddy  streets  as  if  for  a 
wager.  But  though  he  went  far  into  the  country,  he 
could  not  escape  from  the  rage  and  jealousy  and 
hatred  that  burned  within  him.  Elsie,  as  well  as  her 
father,  had  slighted  and  trodden  him  under  foot; 
what  more  bitter  draught  had  the  world  to  ofifer 
him  ? 

Where  he  was  going,  what  he  was  doing,  he  did  not 
know  ;  he  only  ti'amped  blindly  on,  in  the  vain  effort 
to  subdue  the  mad  passions  that  had  taken  possession 
of  him.  Exhausted  at  last,  he  stopped  at  a  wayside 
public  house,  and  fed  the  flames  that  were  devouring 
him  with  two  or  three  glasses  yf  spirits. 


w 


m.  1 


4 


1'* 

Mi 


m 


k> 


and 


|i 


it'  , 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


RED   BERRIES. 


iV'    ' 


DR.  THAY  went  in  to  lunch  with  Elsie,  and 
attended  her  back  to  the  church,  where  her 
taste  and  judgment  gained  her  much  commendation. 
St.  Lulie's  Church  was  a  quaint,  old-fashioned  build- 
ing with  high-backed  pews  and  a  wide  straight  gallery 
across  the  back,  which  offered  a  grand  field  for  the 
display  of  texts  in  white  cotton-wool  mounted  on 
scarlet  cloth.  The  pulpit  was  a  curious  old  "three- 
decker  "  structure  in  black  oak,  of  which  the  clerk 
occupied  the  lowest  division,  while  the  clergyman  read 
prayers  in  the  second  and  ascended  to  the  top  story 
for  the  sermon.  This  pulpit  stood  facing  the  congre- 
gation to  the  left  of  a  narrow,  shallow  chancel,  and 
was  balanced  on  the  opposite  side  by  an  organ  very 
little  larger.  For  years  Elsie  had  taken  the  chief  part 
in  adorning  the  front  of  the  church,  but  on  this 
occasion  there  was  a  woful  dearth  of  red  berries,  and 
she  declined  to  supply  the  necessary  warmth  of  color 
by  the  same  liberal  use  of  scarlet  flannel  which  glori- 
fied the  gallery.  At  first  she  asserted  that  she  would 
*'  make  the  holly  do,"  with  a  little  variegated  laurel 

322 


FT 


BED  BEEEIES. 


323 


lie,   and 
ere   Iier 
Klation. 
d  build- 
allery 
for  the 
ted    on 
'  three- 
'   clerk 
in  read 
*  story 
ongre- 
h  and 
I  very 
^  part 
!   this 
)  and 
color 
jlori- 
ould 
lurel 


as  a  relief;  but,  as  she  loudly  complained,  "  it  looked 
so  cold  and  poor  against  the  dark  oak  that  she  must 
get  berries  from  somewhere." 

Perhaps  a  letter  from  Mark  Stanton  that  she  had 
received  two  or  three  days  before  had  something  to 
do  with  her  heroic  resolution  ;  but,  however  that  might 
be,  she  armed  hersell  with  a  basket  of  formidable 
proportions  and  avowed  her  intention  of  going  to  a 
friend's  house  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town  in  search 
of  some.  Several  small  boys  were  pressing  in  their 
offers  of  assistance,  but  such  an  extraordinary  quan- 
tity of  holly  festoons  needed  making,  that  Elsie 
"really  preferred  to  carry  the  basket  herself  rather 
than  take  away  any  of  the  workers."  Dr.  Thay  was 
equally  anxious  to  be  allowed  the  honor  of  driving  her 
to  lier  friend's  house,  but  just  as  she  was  taking  her 
seat  in  his  gig  a  messenger  came  to  require  his  attend- 
ance with  all  speed,  and  Elsie  could  n't  and  would  n't 
allovv  him  to  drive  her  more  than  about  halfway. 

Even  this  was  a  help,  however,  and  she  thanked 
him  graciously  as  he  set  her  down  at  a  place  where 
two  roads  met.  She  drew  out  her  watch  as  she  bade 
him  good  by  and  looked  a  little  anxiously  at  it.  It 
was  four  o'clock  and  was  almost  dark.  Neverthe- 
less she  seemed  in  no  great  haste,  for  she  watched  the 
doctor  out  of  sight  before  she  moved,  then  she  took 
the  basket  and  coolly  tossed  it  over  the  hedge  into  a 


;? 


:   11 


!■;,     i'l 


i:' 


i     Si- 


824 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


field  by  the  road.  Having  thus  disencumbered  herself 
of  the  burden  which  had  procured  her  so  much  com- 
miseration from  her  friends,  she  walked  briskly  on 
down  a  miry  country  lane  till  she  came  out  at  last  on 
a  broader  and  better  paved  road.  It  was  a  damp,  raw 
evening,  and  P21sie  turned  up  the  collar  of  her  fur  cape, 
and  tucked  her  hands  deep  into  her  muff,  shivering  a 
little,  even  though  she  was  walking  fast.  To  the  l;ftof 
the  road  the  fields  had  given  place  to  a  large  cemetery, 
and  here  and  there  the  white  headstones  glimmered 
vaguely  through  the  dusk  in  a  sulllcicntly  eerie  fashion. 
Elsie  was  not  generally  superstitious,  but  her  uncom- 
fortable creepy  sensations  increased. 

At  last  she  reached  her  journey's  end,  and  passing 
through  a  rusty  iron  gate  walked  slowly  and  fearfully 
up  a  narrow  graveled  path  between  overgrown  shrubs 
and  evergreens  to  a  house  standing  some  few  yards 
from  the  road.  It  was  a  large,  rambling  place,  with  a 
many  gabled  roof  and  a  wide  portico ;  but  everything 
was  damp,  moldering,  and  out  of  repair,  for  the 
house  was  empty,  and  had  been  empty  for  years. 
Nevertheless  Elsie  tried  the  door,  and  though  she  was 
half  surprised  to  find  that  it  would  open,  she  went  a 
few  steps  forward  into  the  darkness,  calling  in  a  voice 
that  sounded  odd  and  shaky,  "  Mark  !  Mark  !  " 

There  was  no  anf^.vcr  except  a  faint  echo  from  the 
enipty  rooms.     The  wind  whistled  through  the  broken 


BED  BEUBIES. 


325 


^  herself 
'ch  com- 
iskly  on 
last  on 
njp,  raw 
I'i"  cape, 
vQv'mg  a 
le  L;ft  of 
inetery, 
inmercd 
'ash  ion. 
uucom- 

passing 
Jarful  ly 
shrubs 
J'ards 
with  a 
ything 
•r    the 
years. 
e  was 
ent  a 
voice 

1  the 
oken 


windowpanes  and  shook  and  rattled  at  the  fastenings 
like  some  ghostly  burglar,  ])ut  no  human  voice  greeted 
her  anxious  ears.  She  trembled  with  cold  and  fear,  and 
tried  once  more  to  see  the  time.  But  it  was  too  dark 
to  read  her  little  gold-faced  watch  even  at  the  gate, 
and  with  one  scared  glance  over  her  shoulder  towards 
the  cemeterv  opposite  she  made  her  way  again  into  the 
portico  and  cowered  down  against  the  door,  trying  to 
reassure  herself,  for  Mark  had  said  "  five  o'clock," 
and  certainly  it  could  not  be  an  hour  yet  since  she  had 
bidden  Dr.  Thay  good  by.  She  blamed  that  olllcious 
little  gentleman  for  having  driven  her  so  fast,  for  it 
would  be  terribly  trying  to  the  nerves  to  have  to  linger 
anv  length  of  time  in  the  black  shadows  and  rustling 
noises  of  the  weird  old  house  ;  but  she  blamed  Stanton 
even  more  for  having  named  such  a  horrid  trysting 
place  at  such  an  hour. 

This  abode  of  death  and  desolation  seemed  even  to 
Elsie,  unimaginative  as  she  was,  to  cast  an  ill-omened 
shadow  over  her  love,  and  for  one  monjent  she  felt 
inclined  even  now  to  go  back  to  Mr.  JMonitor.  But  it 
was  only  for  a  moment.  She  took  Mark's  letter  out 
of  her  pocket,  for  though  it  was  too  dark  to  see  the 
writing,  it  seemed  to  bring  him  nearer  to  her,  and  over 
and  over  again  she  repeated  to  herself  his  words  of  love. 
They  might  have  been  a  charm  to  shield  her  from  harm 
and  danger,  and  at  least  they  served  to  keep  her  cour- 


I 


326 


THE  JiAINPliOOF  INVENTION. 


age  up.  She  sat  there  on  the  doorstep,  looking  through 
the  fitfully  changitig  sluulows  into  the  misty  graveyartl 
and  listening  to  the  rustling  and  creaking  that  never 
ceased  in  the  house  behind.  Her  very  blood  turne<l 
cold,  but  it  was  her  last  chance  of  happiness,  her  last 
hope  of  Mark.  Yet  even  with  his  letter  in  her  hand 
she  could  not  keep  her  tiioughts  from  a  half-remem- 
bered story  of  horror  and  tragedy  connected  with  the 
gloomy  building  which  threw  its  black  shade  all  around 
her.  Till  this  moment  she  had  held  it  to  be  an  idle 
tale,  but  now  that  wronged  and  vengeful  lover  of 
thirty  years  ago  seemed  to  utter  hideous  warnings  of 
her  fate  in  every  sound  that  echoed  through  the  empty 
rooms  where  he  had  once  lived  and  been  happy.  Oh, 
why  was  Mark  so  long  in  coming ! 

She  tried  to  think  of  her  happiness,  now  so  near  at 
hand,  but  instead  she  thought  of  her  father's  anger 
and  of  Mr.  Monitor's  bitter  disappointment.  Her 
restless  conscience  conjiu'ed  up  specters  more  fright- 
ful than  any  that  might  haunt  the  house  behind  ;  but 
she  endeavored  to  allay  them  with  the  thought  of  Mark. 
To-night  in  this  last  act  of  her  long  course  of  deceit, 
she  could  not  even  persuade  herself  that  she  had  not 
sinned ;  but  she  could  and  did  persuade  herself  that 
Mark's  love  was  worth  it  all,  and  come  what  might  she 
resolved  to  go  on  to  the  end  as  she  had  begun,  if  only 
he  might  be  hers  at  last.     As  she  made  this  compact 


BED  BEliRIES. 


327 


"g  through 
JJ^raveyjinl 
that  never 
od  turne<l 
>  iior  Jast 
I>er  Jiand 
r'-i'oineni- 
with  the 
ill  around 
»e  au  idle 
lover  of 
'"Dings  of 
he  empty 
Py.     Oh, 

•  near  at 
''s  auger 
t.      Her 
3  fright- 
nd;  I)i,t 
f  Mark, 
deceit, 
lad  not 
ilf  that 
?ht  she 
if  only 
>nii)a(t 


with  herself  a  fearful  sense  of  the  nearneas  of  the 
Kvil  Presence  came  over  her  with  such  sliarpnesb  and 
suddenness,  that  if  some  frightful  form  had  become 
visible  to  her  bodily  eyes  she  could  hardly  have  been 
more  convinced  of  its  reality.  She  bowed  her  head 
upon  her  knees,  and  vowed,  whether  to  God  or  to  the 
devil  she  did  not  stop  to  think,  that  if  the  fruits  of 
her  sin  were  made  sure  to  her,  she  would  never  again 
lie  or  deceive  ;  but  would  be  a  good  wife  and  true  to 
Stanton  all  her  days. 

Her  limbs  were  numb  with  cold,  her  senses  were 
weary  with  long  listening  and  watching ;  her  heart 
was  sick  with  suspense ;  while  at  home,  Mr.  Norbury 
was  fuming  and  fretting  at  her  delay.  Mr.  Monitor, 
just  arrived,  could  eat  nothing  for  his  anxiety,  and 
her  mother  was  already  in  tears  at  her  absence. 

Meanwhile  wliat  was  Stanton  doing?  Elsie  asked 
herself  that  ques  :ion  over  and  over  again,  but  she 
would  not  desert  her  post.  When  he  did  come  he 
should  find  her  ready  to  go  with  him,  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  if  he  willed  it  so.  She  pressed  his  letter  to 
her  lips,  and  then  rose  to  her  feet  in  eager  haste.  A 
hurried  footfall  sounded  in  the  distance,  plainly  dis- 
tiiic'  fiom  the  rustling  wind  and  creaking  branches  — 
ho  nad  come  at  last ! 

One  moment  P^lsie  waited  on  the  doorstep.  How 
quickly  he   was   coming  !     A   little   low  cry  of  relief 


m 


V.i 


f 


! 


} 


|i: 


I 


1 9<' 


J 


111 


328 


YV/A;  liAIM'ltOOF  lyVKNTION. 


broke  from  licr  lips,  imd  hIu'  ran  down  the  p;ravol  walk 
to  meet  him.  The  iron  ^ate  chmj^cil  behind  her,  and 
she  hehl  out  both  hands  to  the  (bisky  li,i;'ure  advan(Mn^ 
so  rapidly.  Then  she  shrunk  away  with  a  wild  ritigin*; 
cry  of  fear.  It  was  not  Mark,  but  Italpli,  and  he  held 
her  fast. 

A  faint  lijiht  fell  upon  his  face  from  the  yonn<jj 
moon  Htru^<2;ling  from  behind  a  cloud,  and  he  looked 
wild  and  ha^jiiard.  lOIsie  slrniiiiled  violeiitlv  to  free 
herself,  but  ho  only  laughed  and  held  her  ti<j;hter.  At 
last  breathless  and  exhausted  she  became  still.  '^INIr. 
Warriiiijjlon,"  she  said  as  soon  tis  she  could  speak, 
"  please  let  me  <i;o  ;  you  are  hurting-  me  !  " 

He  lauy;hed  ai^ain,  and  his  <jjrasp  tii>litene.d.  "  Von 
have  hurt  me  many  a  time,  Klsie,"  \w  said  ;  and  Klsie's 
terror  increased,  for  she  was  sure  now  that  he  had 
been  drinkini^.     Oh,  why  did  not  Stanton  come  ! 

"  I  am  cold  and  tired,"  she  nuirmured.  "  I  lost  my 
way,  and  it  is  very  late.  Won't  you  let  me  go  home, 
Ralph?     Mother  will  be  anxious." 

"  No,  I  have  something  to  say  to  you,  Elsie." 

"  Come  home  with  me,  and  then  we  can  talk  as  we 
are  walking  on." 

"I  sball  never  go  home  with  you  again,  P'lsie  — 
neither  shall  any  one  else." 

Elsie  could  almost  hear  her  own  heart  beating,  but 
she  laughed  a  hollow  little  laugh,  as  if  she  thcught  he 


vcl  wjilk 

'«'!•,  iUld 

r.iMciiiu 
ri  Merino. 

lie  IiL'ld 

voiiiij; 

looked 

to  /Voo 

!r.     yVt 

"Mr. 
Hpouk, 

"  Voii 
lOlsio's 

lie  had 

[ 

3st  my 
home, 


as  we 

sie  — 

^  but 
ht  he 


RED  liKllItlKS. 


329 


woro  jokiiijjj.  Oh,  how  h\w.  wislu'd  hIic  hiid  not  Hiightcd 
liiin  that  day  !  Hut  if  hIic  could  only  huiiior  him  a  little 
while,  Stanton  would  be  here,  and  Hhe  would  be  naved. 
It  niuHt  bo  after  five  now. 

''  Arc!  you  really  going  to  be  mairi(!d  next  'i'uijsday, 
I'^lsie?"  demanded  lialph  in  a  tone  of  fearful  mockery. 

''  I  —  I  think  not,  R:ilph.     Not  if  1  can  help  it." 

"Yon  promised  to  ])e  my  wife  long  ago,  but  I  would 
not  marry  vou  now  if  vou  went  down  on  vour  knees 
to  me.  You  liecrto  me,  l^lnie,  tind  I  was  fool  enough 
to  trust  you ;  but  my  time  has  come  at  last.  You 
shall  never  marry  any  one  ;  do  you  hear?  " 

"Oh,  Ralph,  dear  Ralph,  forgive  rae  !  1  am  very 
sorry  if  I  wronged  you." 

"You  are  not.  You  are  trying  to  wrong  me  now 
with  your  '  dear  Ralph.'  Oh,  you  are  just  as  fond  of 
me  now  as  j'ou  used  to  be  !  If  I  had  been  rich,  you 
would  have  married  me  then  ;  but  I  was  poor  and  you 
played  with  me  and  mocked  me." 

Elsie  was  almost  beside  li'  -self.  "  Indeed,  it  was 
not  my  fault.     Dear,  dear  Ralph,  let  me  go." 

"  It  sounds  like  old  times,  Elsie.  Tell  me  how  you 
love  me,  as  you  used  to  do,  and  then  ask  me  to  let 
you  go.     Dear,  dear  Elsie  ! " 

"  How  dare  you  be  so  cruel,  Ralph !     Y'ou  are  hurt- 


ing me. 


"  Y'"ou  have  been  cruel  to  me  for  many  a  long  year. 
It  is  my  turn  now." 


^    i 

Mi 


'I- « 


330 


THE  BAINFROOF  INVENTION. 


"  I  never  (lid  you  any  harm.'' 

"  You  have  ruined  me,  body  and  soul.  You  laughed 
at  me,  made  a  fool  of  me,  drove  me  mad  :  is  that  no 
harm?  Sometimes  you  loved  me,  sometimes  you  hated 
me  ;  month  after  month  you  kept  me  dangling  after 
you.  You  gave  me  no  answei,  though  you  knew  you 
were  half  killing  tne :  is  that  nothing?  You  have 
made  me  what  I  am  to-night  —  and  you  shall  suffer 
for  it.     You  did  do  me  harm  ! " 

**You  should  blame  yourself  for  those  things,  not 
me." 

"  No,  I  blame  you.  If  you  had  treated  me  honestly, 
I  should  have  been  a  different  man  to-night.  Oh,  Elsie, 
why  didn't  you  tell  me  the  truth?  You  might  have 
saved  me,  if  you  would.  It  was  cruel,  it  was  wicked 
of  you !  "  he  cried  passionately  ;  but  through  all  his 
changing  moods  he  held  her  fast,  and  was  deaf  to  her 
entreaties,  scornful  of  her  misery,  pleased  at  her  pain. 

She  made  one  last  effort  to  induce  him  to  relent. 
"  Ralph,"  she  said,  "if  you  will  spare  me,  I  will  give 
up  Mr.  Monitor  for  your  sake." 

Warrington  laughed  his  noisy,  miser i Me  laugh 
again.     "  What?     Will  you  promise  to  be  my  wife?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will  promise,  Ralph.     Now,  let  me  go." 

"Ah,  I  know  what  your  promises  are.  You  would 
have  the  door  shut  in  my  face  to-morrow,  were  you 
once  safe  at  home.     I  will  not  trust  you,  Elsie." 


^W-- 

m^i 


BED   BERRIES. 


331 


ou  laughed 
is  that  no 
yon  hated 
J'Dfe-  after 
Knew  you 
i'ou    have 
lall  suffer 

"Dgs,  not 

honestly, 
3h,  Elsie, 
iglit  have 
18  wicked 
h  all  his 
af  to  her 
ler  pain. 
>  relent, 
vill  give 

?    laugh 
wife  ?  " 
go." 

Tvould 
5i'e  you 


(( 


u 


What  can  I  Hay  to  make  you  believe  me  ?  " 
Nothing  in  the  world ;  I  know  you  too  well." 
And  then  Ralph  lifted  one  hand  and  pointed  to  the 
^v;•ite  stones  glimmering  faintly  in  the  dusk.  Surely  he 
was  mad,  as  well  as  drunk,  but  Elsie  took  advantage 
of  his  movement  and  struggled  desperately  for  liberty. 
Alas,  even  one  hand  was  more  than  a  match  for  her ! 

"  I  said  I  would  prevent  your  marriage,  and  I  will. 
You  may  promise  ;  I  will  perform,"  he  continued,  still 
staring  into  the  misty  graveyard.  "Do  you  like  to 
think  of  lying  there,  Elsie?  There  is  a  grave  dug, 
all  ready.     I  saw  it  as  I  passed." 

Elsie  shivered,  the  v^  ud  was  cold  —  but  it  was  not 
because  of  that ! 

"  Are  you  ready  to  die,  Elsie?" 

The  grim  question  brought  forcibly  home  to  her  the 
horror  of  her  position.  Stanton  could  not  be  coming, 
and  she  was  not  ready  to  die.  She  was  growing  weak 
and  faint  and  was  fast  losing  her  self-control.  She 
could  not,  in  this  dread  hour  of  danger,  frame  one 
prayer  for  help  here  or  forgiveness  hereafter.  She 
only  knew  that  she  was  not  ready  to  die  in  any  sense, 
but  strange  to  say,  the  thought  of  Stanton's  condemn- 
ing letters,  one  in  her  pocket,  and  many  in  her  desk  at 
home,  troubled  her  more  than  all  her  unrepented  sins. 
Mr.  Monitor  and  her  father  would  both  know  what  a 
deceiver  she  was,  and  it  would  have  been  all  in  vain. 


!  i 


III 


■MH^ 


332 


THK  BAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


4( 


fcl:'!l 


■!         :      (1 


O  Ralph,"  she  wailed,  "  forgive  me,  oh,  forgive 
me!     I  am  Dot  ready." 

All  this  while  they  had  been  standing  in  the  road, 
but  now  Warrington  made  a  sudden  movement  and 
began  to  half  drag  and  half  carry  her  towards  the 
house,  but  Elsie's  reeling  senses  regained  their  power. 
She  clung  convulsively  to  the  gate,  and  uttered  shriek 
after  shriek  for  help.  Rtil[)li  made  no  attempt  to 
silence  her,  but  seemed  to  enjoy  her  terror.  Suddenly 
a  new  liope  occurred  to  Elsie.  She  remembered  that 
she  had  with  her  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  and 
all  her  most  valuable  jewelry,  including  Mr.  Monitor's 
gifts,  for  she  had  fancied  that  Stanton  might  not  be 
too  well  provided.  "  Ralph, "  she  cried,  "  I  have 
money  with  me  and  jewels.  You  shall  have  them  all, 
and  more  if  you  will  let  me  go." 

"I  will  not,  for  any  money  you  could  give  me. 
You  deserve  to  die,  and  I  will  not  spare  you." 

Still  she  clung  to  the  gate,  piteously  ])egging  for 
mercy,  and  crying  aloud  for  help  from  God  or  man. 
At  last  her  persecutor,  with  one  rough  exertion  of  his 
strength,  dragged  her  from  her  hold  and  carried  her 
towards  the  house.  Elsie  gave  herself  up  for  lost, 
ceased  to  struggle,  and  wondered  vaguely  how  the  end 
would  come.  Suddenly,  as  he  reached  the  steps, 
Ralph  loosed  his  hold,  and  she  fell  against  cue  of  the 
pillars  of  the  porch. 


BED  BERRIES. 


333 


,   forgive 


lie  road, 
nent  uud 
iii'cls  the 
power, 
■d  shriek 
iein])t    to 
Huldenly 
'•ed  that 
»ey,  and 
lonitor's 
;  not  be 
'  I   have 
hem  all, 

ive   me. 

ing  for 
)r  man. 

of  liis 
ied  her 
)r  lost, 
:he  end 

steps, 
of  the 


An  instant  later  another  face  bent  over  her,  and 
some  one  lifted  her  gently  from  the  ground.  Elsie's 
eyes  opened,  and  a  voice  said  anxiously,  "Are  you 
hurt?"  Hut  it  was  not  Mark  Stanton,  as  she  had 
fancied,  and  Elsie  made  no  answer.  The  question 
was  repeated,  and  she  said  faintly,  "Who  is  it?" 

•'  i  —  Hugh  Milwood.     I  hope  you  are  not  hurt." 

"I  don't  know,"  she  said.  "No,  I  think  not;" 
and  she  made  an  effort  to  sit  up. 

"  What  can  I  do?  "  said  the  clergyman.  "  I  think 
there  is  a  cottage  near  by  where  you  could  wait  while 
I  jj;et  a  carriage." 

''  No!  no!"  said  Elsie,  "I  am  sure  I  can  walk. 
Oil,  don't  leave  me  !    He  may  be  somewhere  here  yet." 

"  Miss  Norhury,  you  have  no  need  to  be  afraid  ; 
I  will  take  care  of  you." 

Elsie  looked  fearfully  into  the  shadows  and  said, 
"  I  am  sure  I  can  walk.  Let  us  go  home.  It  must 
be  so  late.     Mother  will  be  worried  about  me  1  " 

"It  is  nearly  six,  I  think.  Do  you  feel  able  to 
come  yet?" 

Elsie  still  felt  faint  and  trembled  so  that  she  could 
scarcely  stand,  but  she  made  an  heroic  effort  to  pro- 
ceed, for  she  dared  not  stay  alone  within  sight  of  the 
old  iiouse,  and  there  was  no  other  within  a  quarter  of 
a  mile.  Their  progress  was  painfully  slow,  and  it  is 
doubtful  whether  they  would  have  reached  the  town 


I 

M 


1 1  i 


w\ 


Ma 


I 

n 

f-i 


334 


THE  RAIN  PROOF  INVENTION: 


thiit  night  if  a  cab  had  not  chanced  to  pass  them. 
As  they  ncared  the  town  Elsie  made  some  little  attempt 
to  arrange  her  disordered  dress,  but  it  was  so  torn  and 
her  face  was  so  white  and  wild,  that  Mr.  Milwood  as 
well  as  herself  was  thankful  that  she  was  protected 
from  the  curious  glances  of  the  passers-by  by  the 
shelter  of  the  cab. 

"You  must  wonder  what  frightened  me?"  she  said 
at  last. 

"  I  am  sorry  I  was  not  there  earlier.  I  am  afraid 
you  must  have  had  a  very  disagreeable  adventure." 

"It  was  more  than  disagreeable,"  replied  Elsie. 
"  I  was  afraid.  He  threatened  to  murder  me,  but  no 
harm  was  done  really,  and  I  shall  be  much  obliged  if 
you  will  say  nothing  about  it  to  any  one." 

"  Miss  Norbury,  do  you  know  who  the  man  was?" 
asked  Mr.  Milwood  very  gravely,  for  he  was  amazed 
and  horrified  at  what  she  had  said. 

Elsie  felt  much  tempted  to  say  "  No,"  but  she  con- 
quered the  impulse  and  told  the  truth.  "  Yes,  I  do 
know,  but  I  don't  want  to  get  him  into  trouble.  He 
had  been  drinking.  If  you  don't  mind,  I  would  rather 
not  mention  his  name  ;  that  is,  unless  you  particularly 
wish  it." 

"  No  ;  tell  me  as  little  as  you  like."  But  he  guessed 
who  her  assailant  had  been,  though  he  had  not  clearly 
seen  the  man  in  the  dusky  garden. 


V 


BED  BERRIES. 


335 


^s   them. 

iitteiupt 
torn  aud 
wood  as 
I'otected 

by  tlie 

she  said 


"  I  believe,"  said  Elsie,  "  that  if  it  had  n't  boen  for 
you  I  should  not  be  living  now.  1  shall  remember 
your  kindness  as  long  as  I  live.     Will  you  come  in?  " 

"  No,  thank  you,  I  cannot  stay,"  replied  Hugh,  only 
waiting  long  enough  to  see  her  safely  into  the  care 
of  her  friends,  and  to  explain  brietly  what  had  been 
the  matter. 


I 

i 


1  afraid 
ire." 

Elsie. 

but  no 

liged  if 


.  "Mi 


was  ?  " 
unazed 

»e  con- 
1,  I  do 
.  He 
rather 
ularly 

essed 
learly 


I  I 


i^tli 


m 


m 


s 


t^ 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 


5  ■ 


1 


THE    WAY    OK    TUANSGUKSSORS. 

WHAT  have  you  been  doing,  Elsie?"  demanded 
her  father  as  she  sank  down  on  a  seat  in  the 
parlor.  But  INfr.  Monitor  said  gently,  "  Let  her  alone  ; 
she  will  tell  us  to-morrow.  Mr.  Milwood  said  she  had 
had  a  fright." 

"Yes,"  replied  Elsie.  "Please  don't  ask  any 
questions  to-jiight.  I  '11  tell  you  all  about  my  adven- 
tures to-morrow.     1  will  go  to  bed  at  once,  I  think." 

Her  mother  came  and  helped  her  to  undress,  as  she 
used  to  do  when  she  was  a  little  child,  and  Elsie 
alarmed  her  greatly  by  putting  her  head  down  ou  her 
shoulder  and  sobbing  as  if  her  heart  would  break. 
Oh,  if  she  had  only  been  one  who  could  have  helped 
her  in  her  struggles,  how  much  better  it  would  have 
been  !  Elsie  fancied  that  she  might  not  then  have 
made  such  terrible  mistakes,  for  she  was  still  ready  to 
lay  her  faults  and  failures  on  any  one  rather  than 
herself. 

When  Mrs.  Norbury  was  going  downstairs  Elsie 
begged  her  to  send  up  the  housemaid  with  some  fresh 
water,  but  the  water  was  only  an  excuse.     She  even 

33C 


THE    WAY  OF   ritANSilRESSORS. 


337 


manded 
t  ill  the 
["  alone ; 
3lie  had 

sk  any 
adven- 
thiuk." 
as  she 

Elsie 
on  her 
break, 
helped 
1  have 

have 
idy  to 

than 

Elsie 
fresh 
even 


forgot  to  taste  it.  "Jane,"  she  said  anxiously,  "  arc 
there  any  letters  for  me?" 

"  Yes,  three  or  four  I  think,  Miss  Norbury.  One 
came  almost  as  soon  as  you  hud  <^one.  It  was  one  of 
them  you  don't  like  master  to  see,"  said  the  girl. 
Elsie  had  bribed  her  to  give  her  Stanton's  letters 
secretly,  for  she  was  afraid  that  her  futher  niiirht 
recognize  the  handwriting. 

"Will  you  please  to  fetch  them  for  me,  Jane;  I 
cannot  sleep  till  I  have  seen  them." 

"  But  you  do  look  ba<l,  Miss,  to  be  sure.  Had  n't 
you  better  lie  still  till  morning?  " 

"  No,  get  them  at  once  please;"  and  when  the  girl 
had  gone  Elsie  wrapped  a  dressing  gown  about  her 
and  seated  herself  by  the  fire  in  a  great,  comfortable 
armchair.  She  w^as  glad  to  hear  that  Stanton  had 
written,  and  exhausted  as  she  was,  she  had  some 
vague  feeling  of  the  comfort  of  her  surroundings. 

While  Jane  was  in  the  room  she  opened  the  other 
envelopes,  taking  out  cards  and  letters  with  as  much 
interest  as  if  they  were  so  many  pieces  of  blank 
paper.  No  sooner  had  the  door  closed  after  the  girl 
than  her  face  and  manner  changed.  She  tore  open 
Stanton's  letter  and  was  surprised  to  see  how  long  it 
was.  The  light  from  the  gas  overhead  fell  brightly 
on  the  closely  written  pages,  but  Elsie  was  so  much 
agitated  that  everything  seemed  to  dance  before  her 


!i 


'4 


ss 


■iMtk. 


1 


im 


iy 


s 


338 


THE  BAINPliOOF  INVENTIO?^. 


eyes.  Trembling  with  eagerness  she  hiy  back  in  her 
chair  and  closed  her  eyeb,  resolutely  bent  on  mastering 
herself.  She  would  not  even  trv  to  look  again  till  her 
nerves  grew  steadier,  but  she  grasped  the  paper  in  hor 
hands  and  waited.  At  last  she  opened  her  eyes  again 
and  rend  firmly  on,  though  her  white  face  turned  almost 
gray  in  the  fl»'elight.  The  opening  had  shocked  her ; 
it  was  so  cold  and  formal  —  "Dear  Miss  Norbury," 
as  he  might  have  written  to  a  stranger  —  but  it 
scarce  prepared  her  for  what  was  to  follow.  He 
begged  her  first  by  no  means  to  go  to  the  trysting 
place  he  had  appointed  in  his  previous  letter,  and  then, 
with  many  excuses  for  his  change  of  mind,  he  in- 
formed her  that  he  had  made  a  mistake,  and  that 
his  feeling  for  her  had  been  only  a  passing  fancy. 
Though  this  fact  was  stated  in  cold,  plain  terms, 
Elsie's  bewildered  mind  did  not  take  in  the  meaning 
of  the  words  till  she  t'lrned  over  the  page  and  rend 
that  he  had  been  married  that  m«jrning  to  a  girl  of 
whose  existence  she  had  nevei'  before  heard.  In  con- 
clusion he  beggfd  her  forgiveness,  u  d  hoped  that  she 
would  live  to  see  that  it  had  been  better  for  both  that 
they  should  part,  better  especially  for  her  who  would 
havo  had  to  jrv^  "P  so  much  for  his  sake,  as,  from 
what  she  had  told  him,  he  was  sure  that  her  father 
never  would  have  forgiven  them.  It  was  a  clumsily 
exrpressed  epistle,  unlike  Mark  Stanton's  usual  com- 


THE   WAY  OF   TRANSGRESSORS. 


339 


'k  in  her 
lastcrinir 
n  till  her 
er  in  her 
'es  agjifii 
d  almost 
fed  her ; 
orbury," 

but  it 
Dw.  He 
tryeting 
nd  then, 

he  in- 
tid    that 

fancy. 
I  terms, 
neaning 
id  rend 
girl  of 
In  con- 
hat  she 
»th  that 
would 
i,  from 
father 
umsily 
1  com- 


positions, but  she  could  not  doubt  its  genuineness, 
though  she  would  have  given  anything  to  be  able  to 
do  so.  When  she  read  that  last  sentence  she  felt 
instinctively  that  it  contained  the  key  to  his  motives 
both  in  wooing  her  and  in  casting  her  off,  and  her  pale 
cheeks  reddened  at  the  bitter  thought  of  how  she 
had  been  deceived.  He  had  loved,  not  her,  but  her 
father's  money. 

She  was  still  sitting  in  her  chair  some  hours  later, 
when  her  mother  came  up  to  l)ed,  but  the  letter  had 
long  ago  turned  to  smoke  and  ashes,  and  with  it  every 
other  letter  that  the  faithless  Stanton  had  penned  to 
her,  for  thev  were  so  manv  witnesses  against  her. 
She  stared  stupidly  at  Mrs.  Norbury  when  she  came 
in,  and  that  lady,  jumping  hastily  to  the  conclusion 
that  she  was  going  out  of  her  mind,  rushed  down- 
stairs more  quickly  than  she  had  ever  done  before  and 
gave  such  an  alarming  account  of  her  condition  that 
Mr.  Monitor  hurried  off  in  equal  perturbation  of  mind 
for  Elsie's  old  friend.  Dr.  Thay. 

If  she  had  had  sufficient  strength  of  mind,  she  would 
have  insisted  on  being  left  to  iccover  herself  in  peace, 
but  her  nerves  were  so  shaken  that  she  had  hopelessly 
lost  her  self-command,  and  had  even  to  submit  to  her 
mother's  management  for  once.  The  little  doctor  was 
fussilv  attentive  and  asked  so  manv  questions  that 
Elsie  took  refuge  at  last  in  impassive  silence,  and  let 


S 


III 


B^KffFJ^g 


«--ffr^?"T«H»*B«>*ii«SBl«Wfl»rtt-! 


840 


THE  RAINPIIOOF  INVENTION, 


him  suggest  what  ho  liked  and  account  for  cverythinjj, 
as  best  he  could.  He  talkod  learnedly  of  shocks  to 
the  nervous  system  and  threatenings  of  brahi  fevei', 
while  Mrs.  Norhury  deseribed  at  great  length  and  with 
minute  care  the  condition  in  which  her  daughter  had 
returned  home.  Elsie  knew  tiiat  the  story  would  be 
all  over  the  town  by  morning,  but  she  cared  for  noth- 
ing but  to  be  left  alone. 

Mrs.  Norbury  suggested  sitting  up  with  her,  but 
Elsie  found  voice  to  protest  against  iier  doing  any 
such  thing,  and  meeicly  took  a  soothing  draught 
which  Dr.  Thay  ha<l  prescribed.  Satisfied  with  this 
compromise,  her  mother  at  last  retired,  tmd  she  was 
left  to  strujjgle  with  her  miserv  throujrh  tiie  long  hours 
of  the  night.  Her  love  for  Stanton  had  turned  to 
hatred,  but  it  was  not  the  least  part  of  her  wretched- 
ness that  she  must  henceforth  live  her  life  without 
him.  Oh,  she  could  almost  find  it  in  her  heart  to  wish 
that  Hugh  Milwood  had  not  saved  her  from  the  death 
that  had  been  so  near  that  day.  Yet  between  sleep- 
ing and  waking,  as  she  lived  over  again  that  terrible; 
scene  in  the  shadow  of  the  old  house,  it  filled  her  with 
horror  unutterable. 

All  night  long  she  tossed  upon  her  bed  of  suffering, 
bodily  as  well  as  mental,  for  in  her  unequal  struggle 
with  Ralph  she  had  received  many  .a  bruise  and  strain, 
and  all  night  long  tiie  sweet  chimes  mocked  her  misery. 


^!     i 


THE   WAY  OF   TRAySanKSSOUS. 


341 


uml  the  wsilts  siin<j;  oheeiily  of  the  glad  coming  of  tlio 
Clirist-Child. 

Tliiit  night  pujice  smd  mercy  and  good  will  seemed  to 
her  to  be  hut  names,  and  she  wept  pa^isionately  as  slie 
listened  to  tiu;  iiap[)y  mnsie,  at  the  thought  of  the 
loveless,  joyless  life  before  her.  SIk^  was  too  much 
bewildered  and  too  woe-begone  to  see  the  justice  of 
her  imrtion.  At  the  best,  poor  human  nature;  shrinks 
sadly  back  from  untcmpered  justice  ;  and  she  bewailed 
herself  with  great  pity,  as  if  some  strange  allliction 
had  befallen  her. 

Meanwhile,  he  wiiom  she  had  caused  to  suffer  as  she 
was  sutTcrin<if  now  wandered  as  wretcheillv  over  the 
open  llelds,  crying  to  heaven  for  vengeance  on  her, 
vengeance  !  Why  had  he  lingered  so  long?  Now  she 
would  go  uni)unished  ;  man  was  careless,  God  unheed- 
ing !  Ah,  he  did  not  know  even  then  that  Elsie  was 
learning,  as  he  himself  ought  to  have  learned  long 
ago,  that  to  sin  is  inevitably  to  suffer !  Wrong  shall 
not  go  unpunished  while  there  is  a  God  in  heaven. 

Elsie  still  lived,  but  he  grew  confused.  The  thought 
of  her  wild  ciles  and  frightened  face  pursued  him  as 
he  fled,  mile  after  niile,  awav  into  the  darkness, 
stumbling  over  roots  and  stones,  but  running  still  as  if 
he  had  realiy  been  a  murderer.  The  horror  of  what 
he  had  so  nearly  done  drove  him  to  flee  and  hide  as  if 
the  old  house  had  been  actually  stained  with   blood. 


'!■  1. 


/: 


'. ' ', 


Jimm. ..   '"•f-rm^mmm 


■.f 


li 


342 


THE  RAINrUOOF  INVENTION. 


lie  thou<;lit  he  saw  Elsie's  fuee,  white  und  un8iuiliiif]j 
iind  hoiToi-stiicken  in  death,  and  as  he  hurried  <>ii  he 
did  not  know  whether  or  not  her  blood  was  on  his 
head.  Sometimes  he  thonght  sh(!  lived,  sometimes 
that  she  was  dead,  and  when  lie  could  run  no  more  he 
lay  down  breathless  on  the  straw  in  a  lonely  shed  in 
the  fields,  to  dream  fearful  and  sinful  dreams  stained 
through  and  through  with  blood  ! 

But  the  cold  air  played  on  his  Unshed  face,  and  at 
length  brought  him  back  to  consciousness,  though  his 
senses  were  still  clouded  with  intoxication.  He  was 
numb  and  stiff  with  walking  and  running  for  hours, 
and  for  a  time  he  lay  looking  up  at  the  twinkling 
stars  and  wondering  how  he  came  to  be  sleeping  out 
there  in  the  fields.  Soon  a  dim  memory  of  what  had 
happened  came  back  to  hi.ii,  and  with  it  a  great  fear 
that  he  had  slain  the  girl  he  had  loved  so  long.  The 
remembrance  of  her  wild  terror  overpowered  every 
other,  and  he  trembled  as  he  lay  there.  What  had  he 
done !  what  had  he  done !  r'erhaps  even  now  the 
avengers  of  blood  were  upon  his  track,  ready  to  drag 
him  to  prison  and  to  death.  Him,  Ralph  Warrington  ! 
oh,  how  he  had  disgraced  his  ancient  name  !  No  other 
of  his  family  had  fallen  to  such  a  depth,  no  other  had 
done  a  deed  so  cowardly  or  died  a  death  so  full  of 
shame  as  that  which  awaited  him.  Hot  tears  gathered 
in  his  eyes  and  rolled  slowly  down  his   cheeks.     He 


■•^inilinrr 
<»ii    his 

K'tilDCS 

10(1   ill 
<taiiie(l 


THE    WAY   OF   TliANSt) RESSOliS. 


343 


hid  hJH  f.'ice  even  from  the  faint  li<?ht  of  the  sturs  luul 
rocked  hiiuself  to  and  fro  in  his  misery. 

At  UiHt  ho  rose,  impelled  hy  an  uncontrollable  im- 
pulse to  <j;o  hack  to  the  Hcene  of  his  crime  nnd  look 
on  Elsie's  face  once  more.  liut  in  the  darkncHs  he 
could  not  tell  where;  he  had  wandered  to,  and  thoiiixh 
he  knew  the  country  well  it  took  all  his  feeble  powers 
to  find  and  keep  his  way.  At  last  he  stood  once  more 
in  the  shadow  of  the  <;rim  old  house,  and  as  he  pushed 
back  the  clanjjjins  ^J'^te  all  became  clear  to  him  a;;ain. 
He  knew  that  he  would  not  find  Elsie  there,  and  he 
turned  away  and  slowly  plodded  back  to  the  town. 
As  he  passed  through  the  streets  he  met  more  than  one 
company  of  carol  singers,  but  he  had  no  heart  to  lis- 
ten to  their  strains,  though  he  was  almost  glad  in  the 
thought  that  his  hand  had  been  stayed  last  night  from 
the  awful  and  brutal  crime  that  it  chilled  his  blood  to 
think  of. 

Maud  slept,  and  he  crept  softly  into  his  own  room 
to  try  in  vain  to  forget  in  slumber  this  darkest  night 
of  all  his  life.  If  he  fell  asleep,  hideous  visions 
haunted  him  ;  if  he  lay  awake,  thoughts  as  vile  pos- 
sesued  his  soul.  His  disordered  imagination  ran  riot 
with  sleeping  or  waking  dreams  of  dark,  revengeful 
crimes,  and  of  God's  awful  judgments  on  them.  Al- 
ternately he  burned  with  cruel  rage  and  sluuulored  in 
abject  fear.     But  as  he  tossed  upon  his  bed  in  anguish 


I 


r'  t 


344 


THE  liAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


that  threatened  him  with  madiiesB  a  cool  hand  touched 
his  burning  forehead,  a  cup  of  cohJ  wci'iY  was  held  to 
his  parched  lips,  and  with  gentle  thoughts  of  his  dead 
mother,  Kalph  fell  asleep  at  last. 

Till  the  gray  dawn  Maud  watched  beside  him,  fear- 
ing she  knew  not  what  from  the  muttereil  words  that 
had  fallen  from  his  lips.  All  the  morning,  till  long 
past  noon  he  slept,  and  for  the  first  time  for  many 
vears  Maud  did  not  go  to  the  Christmas  service,  for 
she  dreaded  hearing  of  some  awful  tragedy.  Her  only 
pleasure  that  dreary  day  was  a  letter  from  Arthur, 
accompanied  by  the  gift  of  Whittier's  Poems,  ])ut  even 
that  was  shadowed  by  her  fears  of  what  Ralph  had 
been  doing.  Whatever  came  or  went,  she  must  keep 
her  promise  to  her  mother;  and  it  might  be  that  for 
Arthur's  sake  she  would  have  to  bid  him  leave  them 
to  their  fate.  But  not  yet;  it  had  not  yet  come  to 
that,  though  every  time  there  was  a  knock  at  the  doo/ 
she  started  in  overpowering  dread. 

The  night  before  a  basket  o^  dainties  had  been 
mysteriously  pushed  through  the  door  at  dusk,  so 
though  neither  brother  nor  sister  had  appetite  for  the 
good  cheer,  they  were  not  without  some  shadow  of 
Christmas  festivity.  Seeing  how  heavily  Ralph  slept, 
Maud  delayed  the  dinner  to  a  fashionable  hour,  but  he 
did  not  come  down  until  it  was  nearly  ready,  and  then 
the  pains  she   had   taken    to  please  him   passed   un- 


THE    WAY   OF   TRANSGEESSGRS. 


346 


fcjir- 
that 
long 


iiotic(Hl.  TJulpli  was  wrapped  in  liis  own  thoughts, 
and  had  neither  eyes  nor  ears  for  outward  th'ngs. 

His  horror  of  his  own  sin  had  passed,  and  once 
more  he  thougl/  of  Elsie  with  fierce  desire  for  vcn- 
<i;e:iiice.  ITe  blamed  her  for  all  the  sufferinir  lie  was 
en  luring  now,  and  with  a  strange  inconsistency  re- 
gretted that  he  had  lost  his  opportunity  of  the  even- 
ing before.  Once  more  he  was  a  murderer  iu  his 
thoughts. 

Maud  spoke  to  hiiu,  but  was  not  heeded,  and  drew 
back  frightened  at  his  savage  silence ;  but  at  that 
instant  the  knocker  chmged  upon  the  door,  and  Ralph 
sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  curse,  his  face  pale  as  ashes, 
his  eyes  wild  with  terror.     "What  did  he  see  or  fear? 

There  was  nothing  to  fear  ;  but  a  murderer's  dreams 
had  brought  a  murderer's  terrors.  Night  came  on  and 
still  he  thought  of  Elsie,  sometimes  in  maddening 
remorse,  sometimes  with  revengeful  hatred  more  awful 
still.     How  would  it  all  end? 

In  all  his  misery  he  had  no  thought  of  the  conse- 
quences of  what  he  had  already  done.  He  had  for- 
iiotten  that  Elsie  inii>ht  wish  to  be  revenged  for  the 
torture  to  which  he  had  put  her  ;  but  madmen,  and 
Ralph  was  all  but  mad,  often  forget  the  rational  fears 
that  agitate  the  sane. 

All  the  evening  he  sat  with  his  head  bowed  on  his 
hands;    while   Maud   lay   down   on   the   sofa   in   the 


i  1 


ii 


i! 


-J.i- .Jii wwgeggMBWBWBBMBBBBB 


m 


'  r?'5i 


ji'lH 


340 


THE  BAINPEOOF  INVENTION. 


shadow,  no  longer  even  trying  to  rouse  him.  At  last, 
with  sudden,  startling  distinctness  the  sound  of  the 
knocker  clanged  again  through  the  silent  house,  rous- 
ing Ralph  from  his  abstraction.  Before  Maud  could 
rise  to  open  the  door,  he  had  gone  himself  to  do  it, 
and  she  heard  him  speaking  to  some  one  in  a  low 
voice.  The  next  minute  he  hastily  reentered  the 
room  and  kissed  her  without  a  word ;  but  before  she 
had  time  to  ask  him  any  questions,  the  door  was  shut 
sharply  and  she  heard  him  and  his  companion  going 
quickly  down  the  street. 


last, 
the 
ous- 
ould 
0  it, 
low 
the 
she 

shut 

oing 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

"  BUT   ONCE    A    YEAR." 

CHRISTMAS  Djiy  had  dawned  dark  and  cold; 
all  day  a  leaden-colored  sky  had  hung  low  over 
the  brown,  iron-bound  earth.  No  snow  had  fallen, 
though  it  had  been  threatening  for  hours.  Tlie  sun 
never  shone  from  dawn  to  dark,  and  the  wind  was  of 
biting  keenness,  but  to  all,  save  to  those  in  whose  own 
hearts  reigned  the  same  gloomy  weather,  it  was 
"  Merry  Christmas"  still. 

Why  should  cold  winds  and  dark  skies  chill  the  lov- 
ing meetings  of  long-parted  friends?  or  silence  the 
laughter  of  the  youngsters  who  have  looked  forward 
to  Christmas  Day  so  long  ?  Nay,  let  it  come  ever  so 
sadly  as  to  its  outward  garb,  to  the  children,  and  to 
the  fresher-hearted  among  their  elders,  -it  is  the  best 
and  brightest  day  in  all  the  year.  Dark  clouds  can- 
not touch  Christmas ;  the  turkey  tastes  the  same, 
mince  pies  and  snapdragon  are  just  as  sweet,  the 
dances  and  the  games  are  every  bit  as  gay,  the  carols 
of  the  singers  are  as  clear,  the  Christmas  message  of 
good  will  and  peace  is  as  true,  as  when  the  white  snow 
sparkles  in  the  sunshine,  and  old  mother  earth  also 
keeps  holiday. 

847 


i  ( 


f  i 


348 


THE  BAIXPBOOF  INVENTION. 


i\ 


If  Christmas  comes  in  "good  old-fashioned  style" 
with  fresh  snow,  keen  air,  and  bright  sunshine,  we 
may  be  thankful  that  Nature,  like  man,  has  donned 
her  festive  robes.  But  should  it  come  in  driving  sleet 
or  pouring  rain,  turn  from  your  window  to  the  glow- 
ing fire  ;  listen  no  more  to  the  howling  tempest,  but  be 
thankful  for  the  glad  voices  of  the  little  ones  gathered 
about  your  hearth ;  waste  not  another  glance  on  the 
blackness  of  the  leafless  trees,  the  heavy  gloom  of 
the  flying  clouds,  but  turn  to  the  warmth,  the  cheeri- 
ness,  the  brightness  of  your  home,  for  after  all  the 
S[»irit  of  the  dear  old  Christmas  festival  speaks  rather 
to  the  heart  than  to  tiie  senses,  and  no  outward  things 
can  spoil  its  music  if  the  inner  life  is  in  harmony 
with  it.  Be  thankful  then  that  the  wild  wailing,  the 
dreary  moaning  of  the  night  has  no  echo  in  your  home. 
Be  thankful  that  you  can  keep  Christmas  merrily, 
and  pity  those — comfort  them,  if  you  can  —  who  feel 
no  contrast  between  the  grim  blackness  of  the  outer 
world  and  tiieir  own  small  world  within ! 

Bv  INIaud  that  Christmas  Dav  was  lonjj;  remembered 
as  the  darkest  she  had  ever  spent,  but  there  was  mean- 
ing for  her  still  in  i'  o  great  world's  joy.  Dimly  and 
tearfullv  she  even  shared  it,  for  with  all  her  heart  and 
soul  she  thanked  (lod  for  the  birth  of  his  "•  Holy  Child 
.Jesus,"  feeling  that  the  life  which  he  had  glorified 
could  never   be    wholly  dark   in    the    blackest   trials. 


i  ffi 


''BUT  ONCE  A    year:' 


349 


tyle  " 
,  we 
lined 
sleet 
•"low- 
lit  be 
lered 
1  the 
m  of 
leeri- 
the 
ither 


But  Elsie's  tears  fell  like  rain  and  she  refused  to  be 
comforted. 

Mr.  Norbury  wts  angry,  for  he  thought  that  she  wns 
Avillfully  avoiding  INIr.  Monitor,  and  that  her  illness 
was  an  excuse ;  but  her  future  husband  was  more 
lenient.  lie  saw  that  she  was  really  weak  and  ner- 
vous, and  though  he  was  disappointed  that  the  beau- 
tiful presents  he  had  brought  her  awoke  no  more 
enthusiasm,  under  the  circumstances  he  readily  forgave 
her  for  her  want  of  interest. 

Hugh  Milwood  called  after  church  to  inquire  after 
her,  but,  mindful  of  Elsie's  desire,  he  avoided  entering 
into  any  explanations  of  the  adventure,  and  as  the 
young  lady  herself  would  say  no  more  than  that  she 
had  been  frightened  by  a  drunken  man,  the  affair 
remained  a  mystery  even  to  her  nearest  friends.  Mr. 
Monitor  was  too  h:4)py  to  worry  himself  over  trifles, 
but  Mr.  Norbury  was  not  so  easily  satisfied.  He 
watched  his  daughter  with  suspicion,  for  he  was  by 
no  means  certain  that  she  was  not  trying  even  now  to 
escape  from  her  engagement.  He  did  her  an  injustice, 
however  ;  Elsie  was  sulkily  resigned  at  last.  She  was 
even  glad  to  think  how  soon  she  would  be  able  to  turn 
her  back  on  Wharton  and  its  gossii)ing  pe()[)le,  so  she 
said  no  word  of  again  postponing  her  wedding,  and 
when  she  left  her  room  for  a  short  tune  toward 
evening  she  made  some  little  attempt  to  be  gracious  to 


i! 


*-i 


I 


\lh 


350 


THE  BAIN  PROOF  INVENTION. 


>:      V 


her  lover,  though  comiug  down  to  dinner  at  all  was 
much  against  her  will. 

Happily  Mr.  Monitor  was  their  only  guest,  and  he 
was  considerate  enough  to  content  himself  chiefly  with 
looking  at  her,  and  to  make  few  demands  on  her  atten- 
tion. But  in  spite  of  his  gentle  kindness  she  felt  like 
some  wild  animal  forced  from  its  hiding-place  in  the 
darkness  and  silence  to  be  made  a  show  of  in  a  glar- 
ing menagerie.  With  the  consciousness  upon  her  of 
Stanton's  slight,  and  of  the  way  in  which  she  had 
incurred  it,  she  felt  so  humble  in  her  own  eyes  that  it 
was  positive  pain  to  her  to  meet  those  of  other  people. 
Another  matter  that  gave  her  great  disquiet  was 
Mark's  possession  of  the  foolish  letters  she  had 
written.  AVhat  if  he  sent  them  to  her  father,  or  to 
Mr.  Monitor?  for  in  her  first  bitter  disappointment 
she  was  ready  to  suspect  him  of  any  treachery. 

It  was  a  very  quiet  meal,  but  Mr.  IMonitor  would 
have  enjoyed  it  greatly  if  he  had  not  been  so  much 
distressed  by  his  bride-elect's  pale  face.  Everything 
was  as  it  should  be  —  the  turkey,  [)lum  i)udding,  and 
mince  pies  were  all  good  of  their  kind,  and  were 
served  up  with  the  solemnity  duo  to  the  occasion.  As- 
cetics may  grumble  or  scofl:',  as  they  choose,  but  while 
man  is  an  animal  as  well  as  a  spiritual  being  it  is 
likely  that  the  Christmas  dinner  will  continue  to  be 
one  of  the  great  events  of  that  festive  season.     Some 


in' 


"Bl/T  ONCE  A    YE  am: 


S61 


ill 


was 


glav- 


•I 
I 


people's  enjoyment  is  extracted  doubtless  from  the 
pleasure  of  being  traditionally  correct,  but  the  major- 
ity perhaps  regard  it  rather  from  a  personal  than  an 
historic  or  antiquarian  standpoint,  and  enjoy  their 
Christmas  cheer  because  it  is  an  excellent  thing  in  its 
way.  Without  apology,  therefore,  I  will  boldly  state 
that  Mr.  Monitor  belonged  to  this  class  and  enjoyed 
his  dinner,  not  only  because  it  revived  pleasant  mem- 
ories of  his  youth,  nor  because  he  ate  it  in  company 
with  Elsie  Norbury,  but  because  it  was  a  good  dinner. 

The  evening  that  followed  was  also  quiet.  Mrs. 
Norbury  knitted,  Elsie  lay  on  the  sofa  gazing  sadly 
and  silently  into  the  fire,  a'ld  the  two  gentlemen  played 
chess.  Neitiier  of  thcpi  was  a  scientific  player,  but 
Mr.  Monitor  had  had  more  experience  than  his  antag- 
onist, who  objected  to  being  beaten  in  a  game  almost 
as  much  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  deep  importance. 
He  played  grimly  and  almost  savagely,  while  Mr. 
Monitor  drove  him  into  corners,  took  his  queen,  and 
checkmated  him  with  a  cheerful  good  humor  that  pro- 
voked him  to  the  verge  of  incivility,  and  then  laugli- 
ingiy  offered  him  "  his  revenge." 

Elsie  did  not  stay  to  see  the  second  game  played 
out,  but  went  to  bed  just  about  the  time  when  the 
merry  party  at  Mr.  INIilwood's  house  were  settling  down 
in  good  earnest  to  their  evening's  amusement.  The 
only  guest  was  Bob  Littleton,  and  he  had  been  there 


i 
I' 


i'li 


1 


m:>2 


TIE  BA^NPliOOF  INVENTIOX. 


r'    «' 


'A'  (Jay,  arriving  just  in  linu!  to  go  to  cluinh  with 
theiii  'Tayod  witli  huoIi  care  th:it  Katie  had  been  con- 
vinced that  his  splendor  attracted  ail  eyes. 

But  she  had  forgotten  it  a  little  when  she  listened 
once  more  to  the  grand  old  message  that  the  angels 
brought  to  earth  when  Christ  was  born,  from  the  lips 
of  the  ])rother  whose  daily  life  was  even  a  better 
sermon  than  the  one  he  preached  that  morning. 

They  walked  home  ((uietly,  thinking  perhai)s  of  the 
deeper  side  of  Christmas  Day,  but  when  dinner  was 
over  thev  all  went  too-ether  for  a  merrv  ramble  into  the 
country.  No  one  enjoyed  himself  more  than  INIr. 
Milwood,  unless  it  was  Bob,  who  successfully  main- 
tained his  position  at  Katie's  side  from  the  time  they 
left  the  house  to  the  time  when  they  returned  to  it, 
thouuh  she  would  not  liniicsr  behind  the  rest  and  give 
him  the  opportunity  for  the  trfc-a-trlc  that  he  desired. 

"  Well,"  said  Charley  with  a  long-drawn  sigh,  "  I 
suppose  this  is  our  last  Christmas  all  together." 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  demanded  Bob, 

"Haven't  you  heard?  Hugh  is  going  out  to 
India  as  a  missionary  very  soon." 

"  How  will  they  do  without  him  at  the  Mission 
Hall?" 

Charley  shook  his  head.  "  I  don't  know  ;  he  thinks 
he  ought  to  go,  and,  what's  more,  he  wants  Katie  to 
go  with  him." 


i  n  1 


^Irlri'B  I  i>|i  ,ii»^j»ff.i!iiiVi  I  naM)»~#T 


''BUT  ()NC/<J  A     VEAIir 


353 


1    with 
Ml  eoii- 


le  lips 
bater 


f 


Kutie  !  "  gasped  l»ol»  witli    a   doHpaiiing  look   on 


his  comical  face.     "O  Miss  Milwood    voii  arc 


siir 


ely 


not  jioiiig 


''  I  would,  at  once,  if  I  were  11!  'v  U  e  of  much 
use,  but  I  don't  know." 

"•  Von  arc  not  cut  out  for  it,"  saiti  Cuarley,  for  he 
disapproved  extremely  of  IIn<rh'    ■  uggestion. 

liob  felt  inclined  to  echo  the  assertion.  He  looked 
unutterably  melancholy  for  a  moment,  but  he  briirht- 
ened  up  when  Katie  added,  "  Well,  1  'm  lujt  gone  yet, 
and  I  am  not  even  quite  sure  that  Hugh  really  wants 
me.  It  ia  such  an  expensive  journey,  and  I  'm  afraid 
I  could  n't  go  as  a  regular  missionary  for  sevaral 
reasons." 

After  tea  the  whole  family  collected  in  the  nursery 
round  a  great ''bran  pie,"  which  was  the  IMilwoods' 
humble  substitute  for  a  Christmas  tree.  As  every  one  in 
the  house  had  contributed  something  to  its  contents,  the 
presents  that  came  out  of  it  were  of  a  highly  miscella- 
neous nature.  Bol)  had  brought  a  collection  of  odd 
toys  which  provoked  much  merriment,  especially  when 
they  chanced  to  ,jq  drawn  by  some  of  the  eiders  of 
the  party.  He  had  also  put  in  a  book  almost  too  large 
and  flat  to  be  settled  comfortably  at  the  very  bottom 
of  the  pie,  and  he  watched  for  its  appearance  with 
much  anxiety,  though  he  had  taken  the  precaution  of 
marking  it.     At  last,  when  Katie  went  to  try  her  for- 


mmwesmmimm 


I'l 


354 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


tunc,  he  drew  little  Carrie  aside  and  whispered  to  her 
to  instruct  her  sister  "to  feel  for  something  at  the 
very  bottom."  But  that  vouul?  hidy  would  not  he 
advised,  and  when  Charley,  who  lind  heard  Bob's 
whisper,  followed  her,  he  at  once  plun<j;ed  his  hand  to 
the  bottom,  and  after  a  little  maneuvering  brought  to 
the  surface  not  only  the  book  but  half  the  other  con- 
tents of  the  pie.  Save  for  Carrie's  presence  of  mind 
the  result  might  have  been  disastrous  ;  but  she  sprang 
forward  and  consigned  the  odd  little  parcels  to  their 
graves  in  the  bran  before  any  one  had  had  time  to 
guess  at  their  contents.  Meanwhile  Bob  was  watch- 
ing Charley  in  alarm,  for  he  had  rashly  encloseil  a 
little  note  with  his  gift,  and  had  no  desire  that  it  should 
fall  into  hands  for  which  it  was  not  intended.  How- 
ever, Katie  happenc'  to  catch  sight  of  her  name  upon 
it,  antl  loudly  exclaimed  against  her  brother's  appropri- 
ation, so  that  at  last  he  gracefully  waived  his  claim. 
After  that  things  went  more  smoothly,  and  when  the 
bran  pie  was  empty  a  general  exchange  of  presents 
followed. 

Next  came  '' turn-the-trencher "  and  "  blindman's 
buff,"  for  which  game  Bob  and  Hugh  both  showed 
marked  talent,  keeping  the  excitement  of  the  children 
up  to  the  highest  pitch,  till  at  last  they  were  glad  to 
rest  while  Mr.  Littleton  sang  a  song  which  he  had 
long  been  practicing  for  the  occasion.     For  a  wonder 


(J  to  her 
r  .'It    the 
not   1)0 
1    IJoh's 
"■'ind  to 
light  to 
or  con- 

^f  mind 
sprang 
o  thtM"r 

ime    to 
watcii- 

osed   a 

should 
IIow- 

3  upon 

:)ropri- 

chiim. 

3n  the 

Bsents 

man's 
owed 
Idren 
id  to 
Jiad 
uder 


''  BUT  ONCE  A    year:' 


356 


It  was  tifither  scntiinontal  nor  comic,  but  told  in  crace- 
fill  rhymes  the  pleasant  adventures  of  a  little  maid 
who  had  gone  with  Santa  Clans  to  help  him  to  (ill 
other  children's  stockings.  Then  the  sports  of  the 
evening   were   concluded,  according    to    tin)e-honored 


nd  charadt 


ith  Charles 


lei 


custom,  bv  a  < 
one  side  and  the  indefatigable  Bol)  on  the  other. 
PiVery  one,  from  the  eldest  to  the  youngest,  did  his 
best,  and  tiie  best  was  generally  laughable  at  least. 
Bob  chose  the  somewhat  hackueved  word  "  Farewell," 
and  succeeded  in  imparting  to  it  an  entirely  original 
flavor.  In  the  second  act  he  drowned  gracefully  under 
the  parlor  tal)le,  but  it  was  done  so  deliberately  and  it 
required  such  a  stretch  of  imagination  to  disc,  rn  the 
well  that  ilie  si)ectators  were  much  puzzled  by  his 
extraordinary  l)ehavior  until  they  were  enlightened  by 
the  lamentations  of  his  mother  (Katie),  a  very  old 
lady  in  cap  and  spectacles.  They  had  hardly  time  to 
repent  of  their  unfeeling  conduct  in  laughing  at  his 
last  agonies  before  another  demand  was  made  upon 
their  sympathies.  In  the  last  scene  Bob  figured  as 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  leaving  Europe  for  his  exile  at 
St.  Helena ;  but  the  incongruity  between  the  good- 
natured  little  clerk  and  the  ferocious  emperor  was  so 
strong,  and  Bob  considered  it  necessary  to  his  exalted 
part  to  usi'  such  singularly  stilted  language,  that  once 
more   the   specttitors    were   convulsed    with   laughter, 


lii 


''.I 


I 


^  I 


it 


i 


I  i; 


mfmgmmwfjgf^ 


356 


TIIK   llAlSl'liOOl'  fMVENTION. 


when,  as  the  t'liiof  actor  indignantly  roniarked,  'Uhoy 
onglit  to  iiav(!  hIkmI  tears." 

After  tlu!  other  si(h'  had  had  its  turn,  they  sat 
round  the  fire  erackinjjj  nuts  and  asking  riddles  till 
Rol)  relnetantly  tore  himself  away.  A.s  he  had  re- 
marked several  times  that  day,  ''  (Jhristmas  eonjew  but 
once  a  year,"  and  it  was  excusable  to  nnike  it  last  as 
long  as  possible,  but  it  was  getting  very  late  Ix'foro 
he  had  said  good  bv  to  evervbodv.  Ilujih  ottered  to 
walk  part  of  the  way  home  with  him,  and  he  gratefully 
accepted  his  proposal. 

The  clouds  that  Inid  hung  over  the  town  all  day 
were  bejiinning  to  lift  a  little  and  a  fresh  bree/(^  was 
blowing.  'I'hey  vUked  (piickly,  for  there  was  some- 
thing exhilarating  it  the  frosty  air.  "  I  wonder," 
said  Rob  at  last,  "  what  Aithur  jjcster  has  been  doing 
this  Christmas?" 

"  I  hope  he  has  enjoyed  himself,"  sMid  the  (clergy- 
man. ''  Do  you  believe  that  there  is  any  truth  in  iMr. 
Norbury's  accusation  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  Hob.  "  And  what  is  more,  I 
don't  think  Mr.  Norbury  docs  hin)self.  I  think  ho 
has  a  spite  against  Arthur  for  his  interference  about 
the  work  people.  Upon  my  word,  I  wish  there  w^as 
some    one    to    interfere    now.     He    is    a    reirular    old 


skinflint.     I   don't   see    how    he   can    bear   to   so 


on 


i  ? 


hoarding  up  money  that  he  must   know  does  not   or 


rthoy 


^'JiUr  ONCE  A    YhAUr 


357 


ought  not  to  belong'  to  him.  FTis  people  are  wrctchcfllv 
poor;  hut  of  courst!  vou  kuow  uh  well  as  I  do  about 
theui !  I  wish  Honu'tiiint;  could  he  done  ho  that 
ev(!ry  one  could  get  a  fair  share  of  what  ho  works 
for." 

Political  economy  was  not  Hob's  strong  i)oiut, 
though  latterly  he  had  devott'd  a  good  deal  of  rather 
iiazy  meditation  to  the  subject.  His  peri)lexiti('s 
were  many  and  various,  and  his  rellections  generally 
ended  in  his  (h^ng  something  kind  for  the  first  poor 
individual  who  came  in  his  way,  and  leaving  the  class 
or  the  "masses"  to  be  di'alt  with  by  some  oni;  of 
larger  ability. 

Hugh  and  he  had  had  many  lively  discussions  on  the 
work  and  wtiges  (juestion,  but  on  this  occasion  neither 
seemed  eipial  to  the  mental  exertion  the  subject 
demanded.  Hugh  returned  to  Lester.  "  It  was  very 
unfortunate  that  he  should  have  left  the  mill  so 
hastily,"  he  said.  "  I  am  afraid  many  Wharton 
people  believe  he  is  guilty." 

"  They  are  so  abominably  uncharitable,  Lu!  I  can 
prove  that  he  didn't  do  it;  at  least  I  itope  so.  At 
any  rate,  I  can  swear  that  Mr.  Norbur  nas  smother- 
ing when  we  broke  into  his  den.  Listen  !  it's  striking 
twelve  now.  J  am  afraid  your  mother  will  ha\c  been 
wishing  me  to  go  long  before  I  did.  You  had  better 
uot  come  any  farther.     1  often  take  a  short  cut  past 


it 


11 


t  i 


: 
1 

ii 

i 

H 

i| 

!( 

'(■'I 


358 


THE  BAINmOOF  INVENTION. 


i;     I  1    i 


the  factory,"  he  said,  stopping  at  the  head  of  a 
narrow  lane  to  shake  hands.  "It's  nearly  as  lonely 
here  to-night  as  if  it  were  a  graveyard.  Hullo! 
though,  what's  tliat?" 

"  I  don't  see  anything,"  returned  Hugh,  looking 
earnestly  down  the  narrow  passage  between  the  high 
buildings  that  made  it  close  and  dark  even  in  the 
daytime. 

"  T  don't  now,"  said  Rob,  beginning  to  shake  hands 
for  the  second  time  ;  "  but  I  could  almost  swear  that 
I  saw  a  light  in  the  factory  a  minute  ago.  Look ! 
there  it  is  again  !  "  , 

"Yes,  I  see  it!" 

"  What  can  it  be?  "  cried  Bob. 

"  It  has  gone  again." 

*'  Yes ;  but  no  one  can  hav^  anv  business  there 
now.     It  must  be  burglars." 

"  What  shall  we  do?     Go  in  and  see?" 

*'  Yes,  if  vou  don't  mind." 

"  Can  we  get  in,  do  you  suppose?" 

"  We  can  try,  at  any  rate.  Probably  the  door  is 
open,  for  those  fellows  must  have  got  in  somehow. 
I  don't  suppose  they  a»  ^  ghosts,  whatever  they  are 
doing." 

"  Perhaps  they  have  got  in  t'lrougli  one  of  tho 
windows." 

•'  I  dare  sav,  but  we  might  trv  the  door  fiist." 


''BUT  ONCE  A    YEARr 


359 


"  Make  as  little  noise  as  possible,  Bob,"  whispered 
Hugh  as  they  crept  past  the  wiudows  of  the  mill 
towards  the  office  door  in  the  street.  Strange  to  say, 
in  the  excitement  of  tiie  moment  neither  of  them 
thought  of  trying  to  give  the  alarm  to  the  police.  As 
Bob  laid  his  hand  on  the  door,  Hugh  repeated  his 
caution,  but  it  was  nnnecessary.  The  door  yielded  to 
a  touch  ;  it  was  not  even  latched  ! 


;( 


'ii 


i 


-J, .' 


l-'H' 


i  I 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


MIDNir.IIT    IN   THE    MILL. 


I  ■.' 


■'!  f 


;;^ 


l.i 


V 


WHERE  is  the  sufe,  Bob?"  whispered  Hugh. 
"Down    here!     Be   still!    and    I'll    look  if 
any  one  is  meddling  with  it.     I'll  call  if  I  want  helj). 
I  hope  there  are  n't  more  than  two  or  three  of  tlj^rn  !  " 

With  this  pious  wish  he  slipped  off  his  boots  and 
disappeared,  leaving  Hugh  in  a  state  of  wonder  that 
he  could  step  so  quietly  when  he  chose.  Bob  was 
generally  as  noisy  in  his  walk  as  in  his  conversation, 
but  for  once  he  was  impressed  with  the  necessity  of 
caution.  He  was  so  long  in  making  his  investiga- 
tions,  that  Hugh  was  on  the  point  of  following  to  see 
what  had  become  of  him,  when  he  returned. 

"  Is  it  all  right?"  he  whispered. 

"Yes,  what  can  they  be  doing?  They  must  be 
upstairs  if  they  are  anywhere.     I  '11  go  and  see." 

"  I  will  come  with  von.  You  dcju't  know  how  manv 
there  may  be  up  there.  You  go  first,  as  you  know  the 
way,  and  I  will  follow  as  quietl}'  as  I  can." 

"We  can't  be  too  quiet!"  repliec'  Bob.  "Your 
boots  will  creak  on  the  bare  ])oards." 

So  Hugii  followed  his  leader's  example,  and  left  his 

360 


MIDNIGHT  IN  THE  MILL. 


361 


'  m 


r  " 


i»e 


boots  by  the  door,  thinking  as  he  took  them  off  that  it 
was  an  odd  concluf  i  ,o  their  Christinas  Day  to  be 
stealing  about  a  strangvi  building  in  the  dark  looking 
for  burglars. 

Bob's  proceedings  were  systematic.  He  went  very 
softly  and  slowly  up  the  stairs,  and  stoo^,  h\  down  at 
each  door  to  reconnoiter  through  the  keyliole  before 
entering  the  room.  Then  Hugh  waited  in  the  passage, 
while  Bol)  examined  every  recess  and  corner.  This 
wiiH  a  work  of  time,  for  Bob's  movements  were  too 
cautious  to  be  expeditious.  Hugh  began  to  think  that 
they  niiist  have  made  a  mistake,  for  he  could  not  hear 
a  sound  except  an  occasional  creak  as  Bob  stepped  on 
a  loose  board. 

''Well,  where  shall  we  go  next?"  he  asked,  when 
Littleton  had  satisfied  himself  that  the  second  story 
was  free  from  intruders. 

"  Hush  !"  whispered  Bob.  "We  may  as  well  look 
thoroughly,  while  we  are  about  it.  We  have  only  been 
half  through  yet." 

'*  Are  there  four  stories  altogether?" 

"  Sh-sh  !  yes  !  — and  —  oh,  by  the  by,  the  next  floor 
is  where  Mr.  Norbury  does  the  secret !  " 

No  one  knew  why  he  had  chosen  tliat  particular 
place  as  the  scene  of  his  manipulations.  The  clerks 
irreverently  suggested  that  the  building  might  have 
been  more  conveniently  arranged,  but  Mr.   Norbury 


'■,\. 


iiiiillUILWIiiHIHWIBWaWla 


1}  -i 


\m 


sJiS 


-Ml 


if 


^^•^  '^ 


d 


«^^    u 


•f    i;    [f- ,  * 


5 :!;« 


362 


Ti7^  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


thought  otherwise,  and  it  was  he  who  had  had  the 
arrangements  to  make.  Tlie  third  story  consisted  of 
a  landing  from  which  the  stairs  were  continued  to  the 
floor  above,  and  of  two  good-si.red  rooms,  opening 
one  from  the  other.  Tlie  doors  of  both  were  un- 
usually strong  and  were  furnished  with  heavy  and 
complicated  locks,  for  witliin  tlie  second  was  built  the 
closet,  already  described,  which  was,  if  possible,  more 
strongly  secured  with  locks  and  fastenings  than  it  had 
been  before  Mr.  Norbury's  misadventure  which  had 
brought  so  much  odium  on  Lester. 

In  spite  of  liob's  suggestion  that  the  secret  was  the 
probable  attraction  to  tlie  nocturnal  visitors,  he  was 
surprised  to  find  that  the  door  of  the  outer  room  was 
unlocked.  In  mucii  excitement  he  muttered  to  Hugh, 
"We've  got  them  now  safe  enoujjh !  Follow  me 
exactly,  or  you  will  stumble  against  the  machinery. 
It 's  an  awfully  dark  hole,  is  n't  it?  " 

There  was  a  row  of  small  windows  on  one  side,  but 
very  little  light  struggled  through  them  even  in  the 
daytime,  so  it  was  not  Piirprising  that  at  midnight  it 
was  disagreeably  dark.  It  was  so  full  of  machines 
too,  that  it  was  extremely  difhcult  to  avoid  them  in 
cr<  ising  the  room,  but  they  took  plenty  of  time,  and 
accomplished  the  feat  successfully  without  making  any 
J  oise. 

When  they  reached  the  second  door  Bob  went  down 


Il- 


il 


ad   tlie 

Jted  of 

to  the 


)eiiin<T 


MIDNIGHT  IN    THE  MILL, 


363 


on  Lis  knees  for  a  lengthened  survey  through  the 
keyhole.  He  felt  that  the  situation  was  growing 
critical,  therefore  he  was  particularly  anxious  to  'ee 
what  he  could  before  opening  the  door.  But  tlie 
view  was  limited  ;  indeed,  for  a  long  time  he  saw 
nothing.  At  last  his  patience  was  rewarded ;  he 
caught  a  gleam  of  light  for  a  moment,  and  he  re- 
moved his  eye  from  the  aperture  and  applied  his  ear. 
In  another  minute  he  rose,  exclaiming  in  an  excited 
whisper,  "They  have  goi  a  light,  'ind  1  can  hear 
them  talking !  " 

"  Can  you  see  them?" 

••'Ilush!  no.  They  are  in  the  sicret  room,  I  am 
sure." 

He  turned  the  handle  with  immeu^  care  and  pushed 
the  iieavy  door  slowly  from  him ;  '  his  caution  was 
in  vain  ;  the  door  creaked  loudly. 

"  Oh,  dear  I  "  he  sighed,  ''  I  kn  that  this  wretched 
door  would  make  a  noise !  " 

"  Hush  1  "  said  Hugh  in  his  aru,  "if  we  are  still, 
they  may  not  notice  us." 

No  one  came,  and  by  and  by  they  tried  again,  more 
successfully.  They  passed  through  the  door  into  a 
room  as  puzzling  as  the  other,  for  the  light  was  just 
as  dim  and  the  floor  was  aNc  encumbered  with 
machinery  and  with  bales  of  goods.  But  the  door  of 
the  closet  in  the  corner  was  open,  and  through  it  there 


sjswTTMHgac  <jw.aiaiB:j!«>w«  i 


I 


364 


THE  RAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


JHil 


5   ■* 


streamed  a  bright  gleam  of  light.  Ciirefully  mid 
slowly  they  made  tlieir  way  towards  it.  Now  they 
could  he.'vr  words  as  well  as  voices. 

"Aren't  you  ready  yet?"  some  one  asked  im- 
patiently. "I'm  sure  that  light  of  yours  will  be 
shining  down  into  the  street." 

"No;  I 'm  not  ready.  Have  putionee ;  it's  of  no 
use  half  doing  the  thing.  We  have  made  mess  enough 
already  with  that.  I  wish  there  was  a  key  to  tliat 
wretched  little  cabinet.  I  expect  the  papers  we  want 
are  in  there;  there's  nothing  here  that's  of  any  use. 
I  hate  to  break  it ;  so  far  no  one  will  be  the  wiser  for 
our  night's  work,  but  that  would  sjjow  at  once." 

"  What  does  it  matter !  We  dare  n't  stay  in  Whar- 
ton, at  any  rate,  and  they  '11  be  sure  to  guess." 

"  I  shall  stay  for  a  while,  if  1  can  manage  to  open 
this  decently.  I  have  got  half  a  bushel  of  small  keys 
here.     Ah  !  I  do  believe  I  'vc  got  one  to  fit  at  last." 

All  this  while  Bob  was  making  extraoi'dinary  signs 
to  his  <  o'npauion,  which  Hugh  was  quite  unable  to 
interpret. 

Under  cover  of  the  sounds  from  within,  liob 
changed  his  position  and  was  trying  to  whisper  some- 
thing into  Hugh's  ear,  when  the  pair  within  llie 
"prison"  began  to  talk  again,  ainidst  nnich  clashing 
of  bottles  and  rattling  of  keys.  "  Have  you  got  the 
uaujes  of  all  those  drugs  marked  down  ?  " 


i  5.1 


mid 
they 

im- 
I    bo 


^ 


MIDNIUHT  IN   THE  MILL. 


365 


"  Yes  !  yes  !     Is  not  that  drawer  open  yet?  " 

"  It  sticks  a  little,  but  that  is  all,  1  think.  It 's  your 
own  fault  that  we  have  been  so  long.  You  promised 
to  get  impressions  of  all  these  keys  for  me." 

"Well,  1  couldn't.  Mr.  Norbury  never  lets  any 
one  touch  these  kevs,  vou  know  verv  well." 

"  Oh,  I  know.  If  it  had  nt  been  for  Miss  Norbury, 
I  should  never  have  got  the  one  belonging  to  this 
closet." 

"  What  !     Is  she  in  this  business?  " 

"No,  no,  of  course  not.  But  she  lent  it  to  mo 
once  to  show  her  a  kind  of  conjuring  trick,  —  it 's  a 
good  one,  too, — and  while  she  was  out  of  the  room 
getting  sonudhing  elst;  for  Uie,  I  did  luy  busniess. 
By  g(jod  luck,  Mr.  Norbury  had  left  his  keys  down- 
stairs that  night  Warren  says  Thersey  is  awfully 
angry,  and  if  we  can't  make  it  right,  the  game  is 
lost." 

"  I  know  ;  he  told  me  all  about  it  the  night  before 
last.     Tha    was  why  I  sent  him  to  you." 

"  Did  you  send  him?  I  didn't  know  he  had  been 
here  first.  I  want  money  dreadfully  now,  and  I  know 
you  do  —  but  courage!  here  are  the  papers.  No, 
after  all,  there  is  nothing  but  drugs." 

"  Come  away.  It's  of  I'O  use  ;  Mr.  Norbury  knows 
better  than  to  keep  his  papers  here." 

"  The  papers  are  here  somewhere,  I  tell  you.     We 


I 


Hi 


\\\ 


n 


3t)6 


THE  BAIN P HOOF  INVENTION. 


iiiust  get  them.  You  Ml  be  niiued,  at  any  rate,  if  we 
ilou't.  I  did  my  best  for  voii  witli  Lewsou,  but  lie 
says  he  will  not  wait  any  longer." 

''  Your  best !  You  set  the  fellow  on  rae,  I  believe, 
so  that  I  should  be  bound  to  help  in  this  rascally 
business.  I  wish  with  all  my  heart  I  had  never 
touched  the  stuff." 

"  Well,  you  are  a  poor-spirited  fellow.  I  thought 
you  wanted  to  have  your  revenge,  and  there  is  no 
surer  way  than  this,  let  alone  that  it  will  clear  things 
up  for  you.  If  Mr.  Norbury  had  treated  me  as  he 
has  treated  vou,  I  should  not  be  in  anv  great  haste  to 
forgive  him." 

"  I  shall  never  forgive  him,  as  you  know,"  returned 
the  other;  "but,  all  the  same,  this  is  no  work  for  a 
gentleman." 

'*  You  should  have  thought  of  that  sooner,"  was  the 
taunting  reply.  "It  is  no  worse  to  take  a  look  at 
these  papers  than  it  was  to  borrow  samples  of  Mr. 
Norbury's  mixtures,  and  look  at  the  bills  for  the 
chemicals  and  piece  out  the  secret  for  ourselves.  If 
we  had  n't  made  that  precious  mistake,  you  would  have 
pocketed  your  share  of  the  profits  readily  enough,  I 
know.  Saintly  airs  hardly  become  yon  at  this  stage 
of  the  proceedings." 

"  If  you  don't  hold  your  tongue,  I  '11  give  you  up  to 
Mr.  Norbury,  I  swear  I  will !  " 


MWyiaUT  IN   THE  MILL. 


367 


|i  if  we 

I'lit    lie 

Mieve, 

kseally 
never 


"  Nonsense,  you  know  you  won't.  You  have  no 
more  fancy  than  I  for"  — 

At  this  instant  tiie  speaker  wafi  interrupted  by  a 
most  extraordinary  sound  at  the  door — sonietiiin<: 
between  a  sneeze  and  the  last  gasp  of  a  person  in  the 
agonies  of  choking. 

Tlie  listeners  had  been  considerably  startled  at  the 
conversation  they  had  overheard.  Bol)  had  immedi- 
ately recognized  both  voices ;  Hugh  was  sure  of  one, 
and  the  discovery  had  added  to  the  dilficulties  of  their 
position.  BoIj  had  no  wish  to  capture  both,  if  he 
could  help  it,  and  though  several  times  he  had  made 
motions  as  if  he  meant  to  try  to  draw  the  closet  door 
to  and  lock  it  upon  the  criminali,  he  had  always  given 
up  the  idea  before  attempting  to  put  it  into  practice. 
Unless,  however,  the  pair  could  thus  be  taken  by  guile, 
it  seemed  unlikely  that  they  could  be  captured  without 
assistance,  for  both  were  stronger  men  than  Bob, 
whether  they  would  have  proved  to  be  more  than  a 
match  for  Hugh  Milwood  or  not.  In  their  uncer- 
tainty they  were  allowing  the  robbers  to  proceed  with 
their  work  unmolested,  but  unless  they  did  something 
they  might  as  well  have  shut  their  eyes  to  the  mysteri- 
ous light  in  the  factory,  and  hiwe  gone  (piicliy  home 
to  their  beds. 

Bob's  sneeze  ended  their  dilemma,  and  startled  those 
within  the  room. 


immmmm 


368 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


;V    ■' 


;   'i  I 


1:;^ 


•i!. 


Ralph  (for  it  wuh  Tlal[)li)  iijJHet  Ji  bottle  in  IiIh  aliirin 
witii  SI  loiul  crash  ;  the  other  hastily  extinguished  tiie 
candle  and  rushed  to  the  door. 

As  it  happened  Hob  also  sprang  towards  the  door, 
but  it  was  too  late.  If  he  had  attempted  to  close  it 
when  the  idea  first  occurred  to  him,  the  culprits  might 
have  been  caught  without  a  struggle,  for  they  were 
thoroughly  off  their  guard  and  had  no  suspicion  that 
they  were  watched.  But  the  heavy  door  opened  in- 
wards, and  Hob  could  not  reach  it.  Instead  of  clos- 
ing it  he  ran  full  against  the  retreating  foe,  and  in  the 
violence  of  the  shock  was  Hung  to  the  ground.  War- 
rington, fleeing  too  hastily  to  stop  biujself,  tripped  over 
Littleton's  prostrate  form  and  fell  heavily  upon  him. 
In  his  pain  and  astonishment  Hob  uttered  a  cry  com- 
pounded of  a  howl  and  a  shriek  that  echoed  dismally 
through  the  building. 

In  the  mean  time  Hugh  Milwood  was  engaged  in  the 
unclerical  pastime  of  '•'  follow  my  leader,"  in  the 
midst  of  the  machinery  after  Mark  Stanton,  who  had 
been  disagreeably  surprised  to  find  that  Hob  was  not 
alone.  He  naturally  wished  to  reach  the  door.  Hugh 
was  determined  that  lie  should  not.  They  were  well 
matched  ;  both  were  light  and  active  ;  neither  had  the 
advantage  of  being  familiar  with  the  arrangement 
of  the  machines.  The  chase  continued  till  they  had 
lost  all  idea  of  where  the  door  ought  to  be.     Once  Hugh 


SxM 


jf'  ^*^  . 


I 


MWMliUT  IN  THE  MILL. 


869 


■ 


c!iii<ilit  his  iintiij^oiiist's  .arm,  but  they  were  so  «Mitan<;led 
with  iinpedimciits  of  wood  :iiid  iron  that  he  Hoon 
lost  his  hold.  Nevertheless  he  was  j^aiiiiiiu  in  the 
chase,  and  Mark  knew  that  his  chances  of  escape  were 
scanty. 

Bob  and  Kalph  were  by  this  tinjc  on  their  feet,  and 
were    execntiiijji;    the    sami'    sinjjfuhir    and    nndijinified 


maneuvers 


dodyjinLT     like    schoolboys 


vmong 
ices 


the 
be- 


machiiuiy  and  tearinj^  up  and  down  the  sp 
twecn.  liob  found  it  excitinj;',  and  be<i;an  tt)  shout  as 
if  lie  rrallv  were  a  schoollxiy.  Sudden'v,  for  the 
second  time,  he  came  crash  a<2;ain.s(  someliody  !  On 
this  (KH-asion,  howevi-r,  he  preserved  his  balajice,  and 
clinginiL;'  to  his  victim  proclaimed  with  a  shout  that  was 
louder  than  any  lie  had  vet  indulged  in,  "1  've  cau<j;ht 
him,  IIu<>li,  I  've  cau^^ht  him  1  " 

"  It  is  I,  Hoi),  let  nie  go  I  "  exclaimed  the  captive, 
struggling  to  esca[)e  from  I'ob's  fi'antic  embrace- 
Littleton's  only  reply  was  to  cling  faster  and  shout 
louder  than  before. 

"Do  listen  !   you  have  caught  me  !  " 

"  Caught  who?  "  ciied  Hob,  who  appeared  to  have 
lost  his  wits  in  the  emergency. 

^^]Me_IIugh  Milwood!" 

"Oh,"  he  exclaimed  with  something  like  a  groan, 
"I  thought  it  was  that  villain  Stanton!" 

The  door  was  opened  and  shut  twice. 


I 


I 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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IL 


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1-25  1  1.4      1.6 

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Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

VIEBSTER.N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


370 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


I 


t   ■1 


I  1" 


"  They  have  gone,'  said  Hugh,  "  but  be  quick,  we 
may  catch  them  yet !  " 

They  reached  the  door  and  opened  it  in  time  to  hear 
the  other  closed  with  a  bang.  A  key  turned  in  the 
lock,  the  handle  was  rattled  from  the  outside,  and  they 
heard  Stanton  say  coolly,  ''They  are  fast  till  morning, 
Ralph." 

Bob  tried  the  door,  shook  it,  kicked  it,  and  vented 
his  feelings  in  a  shout  of  defiance  to  Stanton  which 
was  unheard,  or  at  least  unanswered. 

Listening  attentively  they  heard  another  door  bang 
in  the  distance,  and  then  they  heard  no  more.  Abso- 
lute silence  reigned,  for  Mr.  Norbury's  mill  stood  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  manufacturing  district  of  Whar- 
ton, and  on  every  side  they  were  surrounded  by  tall 
warehouses  or  factories. 

"  I  wonder  whether  the  key  of  that  other  door 
won't  fit  this  lock  !  "  said  Hugh.     "  It  is  in  it,  I  think." 

"No,  it  won't.  Mr.  Norburyhad  them  made  differ- 
ent on  purpose." 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  worth  trying?" 

"  Not  a  bit.  Still,  if  you  like,  I  '11  show  you  ;  "  and 
Bob  went  to  look  for  it. 

He  was  right.  The  locks  were  on  different  prin- 
ciples and  the  key  was  too  large  to  be  forced  into  the 
lock.  "  It 's  a  nuisance,"  said  Bob,  "  it 's  a  horridly 
cold  place  to  spend  the  night  in.     It  makes  one  feel 


illi 


MIDNIGHT  IN   THE  MILL. 


371 


3k,  we 


truing, 


such  a  fool  too  —  to  come  in  here  to  cutcb  thieves  aud 
get  locked  iu  ourselves.  It's  too  absurd  !  You  know 
we  really  ought  to  have  given  the  alarm  instead  of 
undertaking  the  job  ourselves.  There  ought  to  be  a 
watchman  somewhere  near,  I  'm  sure  ;  but  I  expect 
they  are  all  keeping  Christmas  like  the  rest  of  the 
world." 

"  I'm  not  sorry  we  came,  nevertheless." 

*' Aren't  you?  I  don't  think  we  have  done  Mr. 
Norbury  much  good  with  all  our  trouble." 

'^No,  but  at  any  rate  it  is  clear  now  that  Arthur 
Lester  is  not  to  blame." 

"I  suppose  it  is.  I  never  thought  of  that;  1  am 
glad  that  we  came  after  all.  Mr.  Norbury  will  be 
ready  to  stand  on  his  head  for  joy,  for  of  course  his 
secret  is  safe  enough  after  all  the  fuss.  I  do  wish  we 
could  get  out  if  it's  only  to  tell  the  good  news." 

"  I  wish  we  could.  Those  fellows  will  certainly 
escape  if  we  have  to  stay  here  long." 

"  I  should  n't  much  care  if  they  did.  I  should  be 
awfully  sorry  to  have  anything  to  do  with  getting  that 
poor  wretch  Warrington  into  more  trouble.  It  would 
serve  Stanton  right  though,  if  it  was  only  for  the  way 
he  has  led  him  into  mischief.  I  have  no  doubt  it's 
all  his  doing.     He  must  be  an  awfullv  clever  fellow." 

Hugh  made  no  answer ;  he  sympathized  more  than 
he  cared  to  confess  with  his  friend's  desire  to  spare 


U  i 


372 


THE    UAIXPROOF  INVENTION. 


m 


Ralph,  and  following  his  oxaiiiplc  he  endeavored  to 
make  himself  comfortable  against  the  machinery,  bnt 
he  did  not  succeed  in  going  to  sleep,  though  Bob,  who 
was  tired  out  with  tlie  exertions  of  the  day,  dozed  a 
little. 


1: 1 


\%  I 

ll 


to 
)llt 

JO 

a 


I 
I 
I 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


FACE   TO    FACE   WITH    DEATH. 


"T  rUGH  was  still  vainly  trying  to  compose  himself 
J — L  to  sleep  when  Bob,  rolling  about  restlessly, 
brought  his  head  rather  sharply  in  contact  with  the 
iron  framework  against  which  he  was  resting,  and 
awoke  to  the  consciousness  that  he  was  not  in  his  own 
bed  at  homo.  "  Have  you  been  to  sleep,  Hugh?  "  he 
suddenly  exclaimed. 

"  No,  not  yet.  I  'm  not  sleepy." 
"Neither  am  I.  The  bed  is  too  hard,  that's  the 
fact.  I  have  never  slept  a  wink,  though  I  am  dead 
tired.  Hullo,  I  don't  know  what  we  have  been  think- 
ing of !  These  bales  of  the  '  Rainproof '  might  be  a 
little  softer  than  this  at  any  rate.  Let  us  go  into  the 
other  room.     I  wish  we  had  a  light !  " 

*'They  had  a  candle.     Have  you  any  mutches?" 
**  No,  I  don't  believe  I  have.     I  don't  smoke." 
*'  Neither   do  I.     I  suppose  we  can  feel  the  bales 
you  talk  of  easily  enough." 

"  I  wish  we  had  our  boots,"  said  Bob  as  they 
crossed  the  room.  "  These  floors  are  dreadfully  cold. 
My  feet  are  freezing." 

373 


__J=t"^ 


?  I  It 


374 


THE   liAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


"  We  had  better  have  another  vace  to  warm  our- 
selves up,"  said  Hugh  with  a  laugh.  "  I  wonder  if 
any  of  the  keys  they  had  would  unlock  that  door." 

"  No,  we  shall  have  to  stay  here  till  the  fellow 
comes  in  ihe  morning  to  open  the  mill.  Hullo,  what's 
that?     Don't  vou  smell  smoke?" 

Hugh  opened  the  door  at  that  instant  and  they  both 
littered  an  exclamation  of  dismay.  No  wonder  that 
Bob  noticed  a  smell  of  fire  ;  the  only  wonder  was  that 
they  had  not  perceived  it  sooner.  Througli  the  open 
closet  door  swept  stifling  clouds  of  smoke  that  filled 
the  inner  room  and  half  choked  and  blinded  tliem. 
The  woodwork  of  the  "prison"  was  beginning  to 
blaze,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  the  whole  place 
would  be  on  fire. 

"  How  can  it  have  happened?  "  gasped  Bob. 

Hugh  shut  the  door  to  keep  out  the  suffocating 
fumes  of  the  burning  cliemicals  in  the  closet,  and 
asked,  "Is  there  anywhere  here  that  we  can  get 
water  ?  " 

"  No,  there  is  a  tap  on  the  landing,  but  we  can't 
get  at  it." 

"  They  had  some  tools,"  said  Hugh  after  a  pause, 
in  which  they  had  stood  listening  to  the  crackling  of 
the  flames.     "I  will  get  them,  if  I  can." 

So  saying  he  opened  the  door  again  and  made  a  dash 
across  the   room,  but  alas  I    the    tools,  if   there  were 


[ 


f 


FACE   TO  FACE   WITH  DEATH. 


375 


our- 
ller  if 

tellow 
fluit  's 


and 


get 


any,  were  beyond  liia  reach  in  the  very  center  of  the 
flames. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?"  cried  Bob.  "  It 's  not  a  bit 
of  use  trying  to  put  it  out  with  no  water." 

"  I  wish  we  had  come  in  here  sooner.  We  might 
have  smothered  it  at  first,  but  now  our  only  chance  is 
to  break  in  that  door." 

"  We  can't  do  it,"  replied  Rob  positively,  but  with 
something  like  a  quaver  in  his  voice.  "  It  is  as  strong 
as  a  jail,  and  we  have  no  tools.  Let  us  open  the 
window  and  make  all  the  noise  we  can.  Sound  travels 
well  on  a  night  like  this,  and  tiiere  is  no  time  to  lose." 

Acting  on  this  suggestion,  they  shouted  again  and 
again,  nniking  a  ncjisc  "  that  ought  to  have  wakened 
the  whole  town,"  as  Bob  said,  but  no  one  seemed  to 
hear  it.  Certainly  no  one  came  near  them.  "  1  wish 
we  could  shout  into  the  street,"  Bob  continued.  "  This 
wretched  little  lane  does  n't  give  a  fellow  a  chance. 
All  the  row  I  can  make  only  goes  into  the  next 
factorv." 

"  I  don't  know  that  it  would  be  nnich  better  if  these 
windows  did  look  into  the  street.  No  one  is  likely  to 
pass  at  this  time  of  night,"  replied  Hugh. 

"  A\^hat  time  is  it?" 

"  About  one." 

They  could  see  each  other's  faces  now  in  the  glare 
of  the  flames,  reflected  from  the  whitened  wall  oppo- 


* 


I 


f  ( 


376 


THE  BAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


site ;  and  though  they  tried  to  keep  up  their  spirits, 
both  looked  ghastly  and  stninge. 

"  And  I  dare  say  no  one  will  pass  till  five  or  half 
past.  Why,  the  whole  place  will  be  in  cinders  before 
then  !  It  must  be  burning  fast.  And  if  we  can't  get 
out"  — 

Bob  did  not  finish  his  sentence.  His  fears  were  too 
horrible  and  unnerving  to  put  into  words. 

"We  had  better  trv  to  break  that  door.  Surely 
there  must  be  something  we  could  use  to  batter  it 
with." 

"  Let  us  have  one  more  try  with  our  voices  first, 
and  if  that  fails,  I  'ni  ready  for  a  turn  at  the  door." 

In  his  excitement  Bob  out.lid  himself,  and  Hugh 
seconded  him  with  all  the  powers  of  his  lungs,  but 
still  no  one  heard.  At  last  they  ttu'ued  away  from 
the  window,  and  after  a  lengthy  struggle,  managed  to 
detach  from  the  machinery  two  heav'y  bars  of  iron. 
Before  setting  seriously  to  work,  Bob  went  to  have 
another  glance  at  the  fire,  but  came  back  almost  stifled 
to  report  that  it  was  burning  terribly  fast. 

Hugh  said  nothing,  but  began  to  hammer  at  the 
door  with  all  his  njight.  Bob  followed  suit  nobly,  but 
when  they  stopped,  after  some  minutes'  continuous 
exertion,  they  were  disai)pointe(l  to  see  how  little  im- 
pression they  had  made.  The  prison  was  as  fast  as 
ever. 


FACE  TO   FACE    WITH  DEATH. 


S17 


ilf 
re 

ot 


f 


"  I  wish,"  excraimcd  Bol)  in  a  tone  of  vexation, 
"that  Mr.  Norbury  had  not  put  such  absurdly  heavy 
doors  here.     I  don't  see  the  sense  of  it." 

"  I  conclude  that  it  was  to  keep  out  such  people  as 
our  friends  of  to-night." 

"  I  wish  they  were  i'\  here  instead  of  us  ;  at  least  — 
well,  I  don't  know.  Do  you  suppose  they  meant  to 
burn  the  place?" 

"  No,  I  should  think  not.  It  must  have  been  an 
accident." 

"  I  can't  understand  how  the  fire  can  have  started." 

"My  impression  is  that  the  candle  must  have  been 
not  quite  out,  and  periiaps  it  fell  amonjjj  papers  and 
smouldered  for  a  while.  I  dare  say  the  bottle  that 
was  broken  mav  have  contained  soniethinur  inflam- 
mable.  Are  you  rested  yet?  Shall  we  try  the  door 
again  ? " 

Bob  nodded,  and  they  struck  it  again  and  again 
without  effect,  till  at  last  he  dropped  his  iron  bar  ex- 
claiming, "  We  can't  do  it,  Hugh." 

Hugh  continued  to  batter  it  resolutely  with  blows 
that  sounded  through  the  empty  rooms  tremendously, 
and  Bob  once  more  took  up  his  position  at  the  window 
and  raised  his  voice  in  a  high  falsetto  key  that  ought 
to  have  been  efficacious,  for  his  screaming  accompani- 
ment to  Hugh's  thundering  battery  coml)ined  to  make 
the  most  extraordinary  sound  that  ever  issued  from 


378 


THE  BAIN  PROOF  INVENTION. 


any  })uikling  at  dead  of  niglit.  At  last  Bol)  drew  in 
bis  head,  after  a  final  whoop  that  would  hi  e  done 
credit  to  the  most  murderous  "redskins"  that  ever 
scalped  a  white  man,  and  observed  in  utter  disgust, 
*'  I  do  believe  every  one  is  deaf  to-night !  " 

Hugh  made  no  answer,  for  the  sound  of  his  own 
blows  prevented  his  hearing  his  friend's  remark. 
Stimulated  by  his  perseverance  Rob  again  began 
to  work  at  the  door,  but  not  for  many  seconds, 
for  he  had  lost  heart.  "Hugh,"  he  said,  "this  place 
is  suffocating  ;  come  to  the  window  and  get  a  breath 
of  air." 

Hugh  followed  him.  The  heat  was  fearful,  and  he 
had  satisfied  himself  at  last  that  it  was  useless  to  waste 
his  strength  any  longer  on  the  door. 

"  Bob,"  he  said,  "do  you  know  of  any  rope  or,  indeed, 
anything  of  the  kind  ?  " 

Littleton  shook  his  bead  with  an  air  of  bewilder- 
ment and  said  ruefully,  "Do  you  think  that  there  is 
any  hope  for  us  ?  "  Up  to  this  moment  he  had  reso- 
lutely tried  to  shut  his  eyes  to  their  danger. 

"There  is  some,"  said  Hugh  quietly.  "We  must 
not  despair  yet.  Bob." 

"  I  suppose  it  is  too  far  to  jump,"  said  Bob,  looking 
down  to  the  rough  pavement  so  far  below. 

"Yes;  it  would  be  almost  certain  death.  I  would 
not  try  that  unless  death  inside  here  were  quite  certain." 


FACJi:   TO   FACE   WITH  VEATU. 


879 


Bob  sliudderod  aud  said  wildly,  "  Let  ub  try  that 
door  again." 

"  It  is  of  no  use,"  said  Hugh,  not  moving. 

"What !  shall  you  stand  still  hero  to  wait  for  death  ?  " 

"  No ;  I  am  trying  to  think  of  some  plan,  that  is  all." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  They  stood  quietly 
by  the  window,  tiiinking  such  thoughts  as  men  will 
think  who  stand  face  to  face  with  death.  The  un- 
known future,  whether  met  with  joy  or  fear,  is  awful 
still.  To  wait  for  death  in  health  and  strength  at  one 
short  moment's  notice  may  well  fill  the  bravest  man 
with  solemn  dread. 

They  were  silent  as  they  stood  together  watching 
the  nickering  ^ight  upon  the  opposite  wall,  and  listen- 
ing to  the  rush  and  roar  of  the  flames  so  fearfully 
close  at  baud.  There  were  loud  crashes  now  and  then 
as  some  heavy  beam  fell  in  ;  aud  always  there  was  the 
rush  aud  the  roar !  The  smoke  grew  thicker,  the  air 
hotter,  and  even  though  they  leaned  far  through  the 
window,  the  hot  breath  of  the  flames  almost  scorched 
their  faces,  for  the  wind  was  driving  the  smoke  and 
fire  towards  them. 

Bob  sank  on  his  knees  and  prayed  half  audibly  to 
Him  who  never  turns  a  deaf  ear  to  prayer.  Hugh 
stood  by  wi  i  a  grave,  set  face,  a  little  paler  than 
usual,  but  still  quiet  and  calm. 

"Are  vou  not  afraid?"  asked  Bob.     "It  is  such  a 


l\ 


iflfl 


^i 

l!::'' 


ii^'' 


Ji 


t)f. 


11 


:i 


% 


380 


yvi/i'  liAisriiooF  jxvL\>Tioy. 


drcttdful  cloiitb  to  die.  Ciiuuot  you  pray?  (iod  might 
hear  you." 

*'  He  liears  you,  Hob.     II*;  may  Havo  us  yet." 

"O  Hugh,  what  cau  we  do?  I  did  not  thiiiiv  I 
should  have  been  afraid  to  die,  l)ut — now  it  is  so 
near,  I  am." 

Leaning  on  the  window-sill,  his  dark,  earnest  face 
lit  by  the  red  glow  of  the  rising  and  falling  fire,  Hugh 
preached  another  sermon,  explainiiig  in  grave,  calm 
tones  the  truth  that  strengtiu'iicd  him  to  meet  death 
bravely.  There  in  the  glare  of  the  llameK  he  delivered 
his  Master's  message  so  broad  and  free,  that  none  at 
any  hour  may  say  he  is  excluded  from  its  comfort. 
There,  even  in  the  path  of  swift  Hearing  death,  he 
repeated  that  grand  promise,  '•  He  that  belie veth  on 
me  shall  never  die." 

The  preacher  stood  in  the  same  grim  peril  as  his 
hearer,  and  the  words  he  spoke  that  night  were  never 
forgotten.  He  had  declared  that  (Iod  would  support 
them  to  the  end,  and  though  the  dark  hour  of  painful 
dissolution  seemed  close  at  hand  he  showed  no  terror. 

But  even  as  he  spoke  a  new  hope  of  life  dawned 
on  him.  The  flames  were  bursting  through  the  inner 
door,  lighting  the  room  with  a  linid  glare,  and  in  one 
corLji-  they  showed  a  heavy  bale  of  goods,  packed 
ready  for  shipment.  "  Bob,"  he  said,  "•  how  could  we 
have  forgotten  those  bales?    There  is  a  way  to  safety." 


i 


i 


iw  /■;  'in  r. {('/■:  wriii  ih.atii. 


381 


''  IIoW  ?  "  ^Mhpi'd    I?(>1>. 

"  Help  nil'  lo  (li'iii^  tliiit  clotli  out  of  the  way  of  the 
firi'.  Now,"  ho  !i(l(lc(l,  \\\w\\  they  htul  once  more 
ri'uchcd  the  window  ftu'thest  from  the  hurnin;^  room, 
"  h't  ns  iiiitie  these  knolM,  and  thciu  we  shall  be  :il)l(! 
to  jrct  down  withont  jninping." 

"  How?  this  rope  won't  hohl." 

"•  No,  but  the  cU)th  will,  I  hope.  We  11  try  It,  at 
any  rate." 

liob's  enerujy  retnrned  with  the  renewal  of  hope,  and 
he  worked  at  the  knots  with  might  and  main.  It  took 
bnt  a  few  seconds,  with  the  help  of  their  pocket 
knives,  to  open  the  l»ale,  bnt  it  was  a  more  dillienlt 
matter  to  secure  the  cinnl)rons  cloth  llrmly  to  the  nearest 
machine.  Happily  tlu're  was  plenty  of  it;  indeed  the 
lialf  of  it  more  than  reached  the  gronnd,  bnt  though 
they  twisted  it  as  well  as  they  could  it  was  a  poor  and 
dnmsv  contrivance.  ITugh  tested  the  security  of  its 
fasttMiings  with  sundry  jerks  and  pulls,  then  said  : 
"  Now,  Hob,  there  is  not  a  moment  to  si)are.  You  are 
the  lightest,  and  you  had  better  go  first.  If  you  fasten 
this  other  piece  of  cloth  around  your  waist  1  can  help 
vou  down." 

Bob  looked  at  the  dangling  "  Rainproof  "  and  turned 
sick,  but  Huijh  took  the  matter  into  his  own  hands, 
and  had  the  second  piece  tied  firmly  around  him  l)efore 
he  could    protest.     "  Now,"   lie    rei)eated,   "  are   you 


382 


THE  HAIN PROOF  INVENTION. 


MP 


:l 


ready  ?     Kneel  on  the  ledge  and  hold  on  as  well  aa  you 
can  ;  I  '11  not  let  you  go  too  fast." 

"Bnt,"  cried  Bob,  struggling  with  the  folds  of  cloth 
about  his  waist,  "you  can't  get  down  without  help. 
You  go  first.  Indeed,  your  life  is  worth  more  than 
mine." 

"You  could  not  hold  me,  Rob.  I'm  too  heavy, 
and  I  was  a  famous  climber  as  a  bov.  Make  haste, 
or  our  rope  will  catch,  and  then  we  shall  both  be 
lost." 

Thus  adjured  Bob  took  as  firm  a  grasp  of  the  cloth 
as  he  could,  and  crawling  over  the  window  ledge 
started  on  his  perilous  descent.  It  was  well  that  Hugh 
had  hold  of  the  other  piece  of  cloth,  for  directly  Bob 
felt  himself  dangling  in  the  air  he  shut  his  eyes  and 
gave  himself  up  for  lost,  till  he  felt  his  feet  touch  the 
ground.  "  Move  out  of  the  way.  Bob  !  "  called  Hugh 
from  above,  "  I  mav  come  too  fast." 

Bob  tried  to  shut  his  eves  now,  but  could  not.  He 
stared  with  breathless  suspense  at  the  dark  figure 
dangling  against  the  background  of  glowing  brick. 
It  seemed  to  him  that  hours  passed  before  Hugh  stood 
beside  him  on  the  ground,  but  in  reality  the  descent 
had  been  unpleasantly  rapid,  and  Hugh's  hands  were 
sore  and  blistered  with  the  friction  of  their  improvised 
rope.  He  recovered  himself  first,  however.  "  Bob," 
he  said,  "  we  have  to  tell  Mr.  Norbury  yet." 


cloth 
help, 
thau 


"BOB  FELT  HIMSELF  DANGLING  IN  THE  AIR." 


i 


li 


FACE   TO  FACE    WITH  DEATH. 


383 


It  was  true,  and  the  mill  was  burning  more  furiously 
than  ever.  If  help  did  not  soon  arrive,  nothing  could 
be  saved.  For  a  moment  Littleton  stood  gazing  at 
the  havoc  that  the  flames  had  wrought,  then  made  a 
frantic  effort  to  disencumber  himself  of  the  long  sash 
of  the  Norbury  cloth  that  still  encircled  his  waist,  but 
it  was  not  till  Hugh  came  to  his  assistance  that  he 
succeeded  in  escaping  from  it. 

"  I  '11  tell  Mr.  Norbury  !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  and  suiting 
the  action  to  the  word,  he  set  off  at  a  run,  regardless 
of  his  shoeless  feet.  Over  stone  pavements  or  frozen 
earth  he  still  ran  on,  never  slackening  his  pace  for  an 
instant.  Once  or  twice  he  passed  a  policeman,  and 
shouted  "Fire!"  as  he  ran,  but  he  was  gone  before 
the  man  could  make  up  his  mind  what  to  think  of  him. 

When  he  reached  Mr.  Norbury's  house  he  rang  the 
bell  and  hammered  on  the  door  and  shouted  louder 
than  before.  His  cries  mingled  with  Elsie's  uneasy 
dreams,  but  she  awoke  to  find  them  real.  She  sprang 
out  of  bed  and  threw  open  the  window  in  time  to  hear 
her  father  ask,  "  Who  is  there  ?    What  is  the  matter?  " 

"  The  factory  is  on  fire  !  " 

"  What !  the  '  Rainproof '  factory  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it 's  burning  fast.  Make  haste  or  it  will  be 
too  late  to  save  anything  !  " 

Mr.  Norbury  did  make  haste,  and  there  was  need 
for  haste.    The  sky  was  red  with  the  glow  from  the 


884 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


burning  building,  the  flames  were  bursting  from  its 
upper  windows,  but  the  lower  stories  seemed  still  un- 
touched, except  at  the  back  under  the  secret  room, 
where  the  fire  had  started. 

The  fire  engine  had  not  yet  arrived,  though  the  nar- 
row street  was  crowded.  The  people  were  standing 
idle,  watching  the  flames,  and  Mr.  Norbury  stood  idle 
too,  paralyzed  with  the  greatness  of  the  catastrophe. 
A  moment  passed,  and  his  place  was  taken.  Another 
voice  gave  the  directions  he  was  too  stunned  to  think 
of  giving.  Mr.  Monitor  did  well  that  night ;  he 
seemed  to  be  everywhere,  to  think  of  everything, 
while  Mr.  Norbury  stood  by  and  watched  his  factoi:y 
burn. 

Bob  had  fallen  behind  the  procession  which  had 
started  from  Mr.  Norbury's  house  to  the  scene  of  the 
disaster,  for  now  that  his  message  was  given,  he  had 
discovered  that  he  was  almost  too  lame  and  footsore 
to  walk  at  all.  He  hobbled  on,  however,  and  reached 
the  mill  again  just  as  the  fire  engine  dashed  up. 

Flame,  smoke,  and  hissing  clouds  of  steam  rose 
together  from  the  doomed  building  as  the  water  played 
upon  it.  The  fire  crackled  and  roared.  Beams  crashed 
down  and  swept  the  loosened  brickwork  from  its  place. 
The  red  light  glowed  on  the  faces  of  the  crowd, 
excited,  calm,  or  frightened  as  the  case  might  be  — 
on  Mr.  Norbury,  apathetic  and  despairing,  on  Hugh 


'll 


m 


FACE   TO  FACE    WITH  DEATH. 


385 


and  Mr.  Monitor,  energetic  and  earnest,  and  on  Bol) 
Littleton,  shouting,  gersticiilating  and  limping,  always 
busy  and  generally  in  the  way.  kind-hearted  and 
officious  as  ever.  He  had  found  his  shoes  at  last,  but 
not  before  his  feet  had  been  badly  cut  by  stones  and 
burnt  by  hot  ashes.  In  spite  of  his  sufferings  he  still 
hobbled  manfully  about,  risking  his  life  every  moment 
by  going  too  close  to  the  flames  or  getting  under  the 
tottering  walls.  Evidently  he  had  a  conviction  that 
without  his  help  the  fire  would  not  be  put  out,  and 
nothing  would  induce  him  to  leave  his  post  till  the 
factory  had  sunk  to  heaj)S  of  blazing  rubbish. 

The  firemen  had  worked  nobly  to  save  the  place, 
though  they  had  seen  from  tlie  first  that  it  was 
almost  impossible.  It  was  even  a  matter  of  difficulty 
to  prevent  the  conflagration  from  spreading  to  the 
buildings  near  by,  but  when  the  dark  winter  morning 
dawned  this  danger  was  over.  The  ruins  of  the  mill 
still  smoked  and  smouldered,  but  Mr.  Norbury's 
neighbors  were  congratulating  themselves  on  their 
narrow  escape  from  sharing  his  misfortune. 

The  matter  might  have  been  worse.  The  loss  was 
almost  covered  by  the  insurance,  but  the  owner  of  the 
factory  declared  that  he  was  ruined,  and  appeared  to 
be  inclined  to  accept  the  faet  with  stolid  resignation. 
He  shut  himself  up  in  his  own  room,  nnd  resented 
all  intrusion,  until  P^lsie  found  means  of  rousing  him. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


OUT   OF    REACH. 


THE  preparations  for  Elsie's  wedding  went  on  in 
spite  of  everything,  though  she  herself  was 
almost  too  much  occupied  with  other  matters  to  pay 
attention  to  the  details  of  her  attire  and  of  the  great 
feast  which  was  to  follow  the  marriage  ceremony. 
Under  other  circumstances,  she  would  have  found 
some  compensation  in  these  things  for  the  age  and 
stoutness  of  her  bridegroom,  but  now  her  whole  mind 
was  bent  on  one  object  and  that  was  neither  more  nor 
less  than  tlie  punishment  of  the  traitor  Stanton. 

She  was  not  generally  vindictive.  She  would  have 
forgiven  him  readily  for  the  pecuniary  losses  he  had 
brought  upon  them,  but  she  could  not  forgive  his 
long  pretense  of  love  and  his  final  casting  her  off. 
Even  now  she  would  have  spared  Warrington  if  she 
could,  though  he  had  almost  murdered  her ;  but  to 
punish  Mark  she  was  willing  to  risk  anything,  even 
the  disclosures  he  might  choose  to  make  to  her  dis- 
credit. At  least  she  thought  so,  now  that  he  was  out 
of  reach,  and  she  urged  her  father  to  make  every 
effort  for  the  apprehension  of  the  criminals. 

386 


OUT  OF  REACH. 


387 


Rewards  were  offered,  so  large  that  to  a  poor  man 
they  would  be  a  fortune.  Detectives  were  set  upon 
the  track.  Photographs  and  descriptions  of  the  pair 
were  scattered  broadcast  through  the  land,  and  Elsie 
watched  every  post,  expecting  hourly  to  hear  of  their 
capture. 

Mr.  Norbury  was  as  eager  for  their  punishment  as 
his  daughter,  when  once  he  was  roused  sufficiently 
from  his  apathy  to  take  measures  for  this  end.  He 
savagely  regretted  the  days  when  they  would  have 
been  hanged  for  their  crime,  and  in  the  first  flush  of 
his  wrath  narrowly  escaped  an  action  for  libel.  He 
made  a  journey  to  Inglefield  for  the  purpose  of 
taunting  Mr.  Thersey  with  the  hopeless  failure  of  his 
widely  advertised  new  material,  but  not  adhering  to 
his  original  intention  of  being  courteous  and  polite 
through  all,  he  found  himself  roundly  accusing  the 
maker  of  the  "Albatross"  of  robbery  and  lying. 

Mr.  Thersoy  had  already  had  to  endure  much  from 
his  own  partners,  for  ho  .had  involved  the  firm  in  heavy 
loss,  and  he  was  in  no  mood  to  bear  patiently  with 
Mr.  Norbury's  sneers  and  insults.  Fortunately  he 
contented  liimsclf  with  threats,  and  Mr.  Norbury  at 
last  departed,  still  loudly  vaunting  the  superiority  of 
the  improved  "  Rainproof  "  over  every  other  protection 
against  the  weather  known  to  man.  But  though  he 
showed  no  generosity  to  a  fallen  foe,  and  could  choose 


388 


THE  liAINPliOOF  INVENTION. 


the  time  when  a  man  was  "  down"  to  tulniinistor  hid 
hardest  blows,  he  had  some  sense  of  justice,  and  iiis 
next  proceeding  was  to  write  a  short  hut  full  apology 
to  his  nephew  for  his  unwarranted  suspicions,  and  to 
beg  him  to  be  present  at  the  wedding. 

Maud  was  tortured  through  these  dreary  days  with 
agonies  of  suspense  and  shame,  and  at  last  she  saw  ti 
report  in  The  Adviser  that  the  criminals  were  tniven. 
It  was  the  evcMiing  before  Elsie's  wedding  day,  but  she 
could  think  of  no  better  wav  to  leaiii  the  truth  than  to 
go  to  Mr.  Norburv's  house. 

Mr.  Norbury  vvas  out,  but  Elsie  was  tit  home.  Maud 
hardly  waited  till  the  servant  had  closed  the  door,  but 
began,  ''  Oh,  Mi.s  Norbury,  can  you  tell  me  if  it  is 
true  that  Rulph  has  been  ttdven  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  heard  it.  What  made  you  think  so?" 
said  P^lsie. 

"  There  is  a  report  in  The  Adviser  that  he  is." 

"Only  he?" 

"No;  both." 

"  I  don't  think  it's  true,"  said  Elsie  with  perceptible 
disappointment.  "They  would  have  telegraphed  to 
my  father,  if  it  had  been." 

Maud  had  meant  to  utter  no  reproaches,  but  Elsie's 
unsympathetic  tone  made  her  forget  all  her  good  reso- 
lutions. "  Miss  Norbury,"  she  exclaimed  impulsi  .oly, 
"  Ralph  never  would  have  sunk  so  low  if  you  had  not 


OUT  OF  BEACH. 


389 


to"*iired  him  so.  You  ought  to  kuow,  you  must  know, 
thsit  some  of  the  bhime  of  his  crime  lies  at  your  door. 
If  real  justice  were  done,  you  would  be  punished  as 
well  as  he." 

Elsie  shru<>;<j;ed  her  shoulders  and  said  coldly:  "If 
you  knew  as  much  about  your  brother  as  I  do,  you 
would  notcharj^e  me  with  liis  sins.  It  is  not  my  doing, 
it  is  my  father's,  that  tliey  are  trying  to  find  him.  I 
JKive  forgiven  him  far  more  than  you  know.  Besides, 
a  vear  or  two  under  constraint  might  save  him :  who 
can  tell?" 

It  was  true.  Maud  knew  that  it  was,  but  the  vision 
of  her  prouil,  handsome  brother  a  convict  in  a  prison 
cell  was  too  much  for  her.  Never  for  a  moment  did 
she  make  light  of  his  sin,  but  if  she  couUl  she  would 
have  sp;ired  him  sin's  meed  of  sutfering.  For  his 
sake  she  humbled  herself  to  the  vvoman  who  always 
roused  a  strange  antipathy  within  her,  and  begged  her 
with  tears  to  save  him  from  his  doom.  Maud's  dislike 
of  Elsie  prevented  her  seeing  the  good  that  mingled 
with  her  foolish  vanity ;  with  all  her  faults  she  was 
not  quite  heartless.  The  worn,  white  face  of  Ralph's 
sister  touched  her,  and  she  said  earnestly  :  "  I  promise 
you,  Miss  AVarrington,  to  do  anything  for  him  I  can, 
but  1  think  you  fancy  I  can  do  more  than  is  really  in 
my  power.  1  do  not  think  that  he  was  most  to  blame. 
I  am  sure  Mark  Stanton  plauued  it  ail." 


390 


THE  RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


"Tliunk  you,  Miss  Norbury  ;  juul  forgive  lue  if  I 
have  said  vviiat  was  unkind  or  untrue,"  replied  JNIaud, 
trying  hard  to  be  just  to  Ralijii's  temptress,  ''(tood 
evening;  I  will  not  keep  you  longer  now.  I  am  sure 
you  must  be  busy." 

Elsie  went  with  her  to  the  door,  saying  as  she  opened 
it,  "  If  we  hear  anything,  I  will  let  you  know  at  once." 

The  Milwoods  had  entreated  Maud  to  come  to  them 
until  she  could  make  other  arrangements,  but  she  pre- 
ferred to  go  on  living  till  the  last  in  the  little  house 
where  she  could  at  least  be  as  silent  and  (piiet  as  she 
chose.  She  had  grown  used  to  being  alone  in  Ralph's 
nightly  absences,  but  it  would  not  be  for  long,  for  on 
the  news  of  his  disappearance  so  many  creditors  had 
come  to  demand  payment  of  their  debts,  that  Maud 
had  put  everything  she  had  to  sell  into  the  hands  of  a 
dealer,  and  in  two  or  three  days  more  the  house  would 
be  dismantled.  The  sale  of  the  old-fashioned  furni- 
ture with  which  her  mother  had  commenced  house- 
keeping so  many  years  ago  was  hardly  likely  to 
provide  funds  to  pay  above  a  (piarter  of  what  was 
said  to  be  owing.  But  many  of  these  debts  (Mr. 
Lewson's  among  others)  proved  on  examination  to  be 
of  the  type  known,  with  what  seems  almost  like  grim 
irony,  as  "debts  of  honor";  and  Maud  resolutely 
refused  to  become  responsible  for  them.  Fortunately 
the  furniture  had  been  left  to  her  alone,  and  she  was 


OUT  OF  REACH. 


391 


at  lil)orty  to  make  what  disposition  she  chose  of  the 
little  money  she  could  raise. 

Since  Ralph  had  left  she  had  spent  many  a  weary 
hour  trying  to  disentangle  his  confused  affairs. 
Tradesmen's  bills  she  was  resolved  to  pay  by  some 
means  or  other,  but  at  times  it  was  a  diflicult  matter 
to  decide  in  which  class  to  put  a  particular  demand. 
An  hour  after  she  had  returned  from  her  visit  to  Elsie 
she  was  deep  in  her  uncongenial  task,  when  she  heard 
some  one  run  briskly  up  the  steps  and  tap  hastily  at 
the  door.  She  thought  it  must  be  Katie  Milwood,  but 
it  was  Arthur. 

"  Maud,"  he  said  reproachfully,  "  why  did  you  not 
write  to  me?  1  only  heard  yesterday  from  Mr. 
Norburv." 

"  From  Mr.  Norbury  ?     Has  he  forgiven  you?  " 

"Yes;  or  at  least  he  agrees  with  me  that  he  had 
nothing  to  forgive.  What  are  you  doing,  Maud,  with 
all  those  papers?  " 

"  They  are  Ralph's.  Some  ought  to  be  paid,  and 
some  I  would  not  pay  if  1  h'ld  as  nujch  money  as  the 
Rothschilds.     I  am  trying  to  sort  them." 

"Are  voi.  hero  all  alone?"  he  asked,  looking  round 
the  little  room  that  had  never  before  seemed  to 
dreary. 

"  Yes ;  Katie  would  have  come  to  me,  but  I  was 
best  alone." 


392 


THE   RAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


"  TIow  (lid  it  all  luipiu'ii,  IM.'iiid  ?  INfr.  Norbiiry  told 
rno  nothing  ;  and  tlioiiiili  \  liciinl  all  sorts  of  rumors 
on  the  train,   I  did  n't  know  what  to  believe  " 

Maud  told  the  Htorv  as  B()b  had  told  it  to  her. 
"  And  now,  Arthur,"  hIm;  added,  "  are  you  suie 
you  would  not  rather  {j;ive  nie  up?  I  know  I  ought 
not  to  put  it  that  way  ;  I  oujL^ht  to  say  that  I  won't 
be  a  disgrace  to  you,  whether  you  like  it  or  not, 
but "  - 

"  Do  you  think  honestly,  INIaud,  that  you  would 
disgra(!e  uie  ?  " 

''  People  would  say  so." 

"People  say  very  pretty  things  of  me;  only  as 
long  as  they  are  not  true,  I  ain  not  afraid  to  ask  you 
to  keep  your  promise  to  n>e." 

"•  But,  Arthur,  the  disgrace"  — 

"I  shall  begin  to  think,  Maud,  if  you  talk  about 
the  disgrace  like  that,  that  we  have  got  into  one  of 
those  uncomfortable  stories  where  the  heroine — I 
think  it  generally  is  the  heroine  — sacritlces  her  lover's 
happiness  to  that  fetish  of  disgracing  him.  I  have 
no  patience  with  it  in  books  even,  and  if  you  talk  in 
that  way,  I  shall  have  less  still.  Why,  Maud,  I  have 
always  thought  that  one  of  your  strong  points  was 
common  sense  !  It  sounds  more  like  my  cousiu  Elsie 
to  talk  in  that  romantic  fashion  !  " 

"  Another  thin^j  is,  how  can  I  keep  my  promise  to 


OUT  OF  liluACil. 


393 


my  motlicr  if  I  don't  try  to  liiid  |u)or  Halpli?  If  ho 
i'sciipcs,  lu'  will  lu'cd  MU!  more  tluiii  (ivcr." 

'•  If  li«'  I'scMpi'M,  it  will  not  Ik;  ousy  to  fliul  liim, 
MiiiHJ  ;  :ui(l  if  he  does  not,  yon  conld  not  holi)  him  in 
siny  cjiHc,  ill  li!ii.st  Un-  Hovcnd  yciirs.  Hnt,  iiH  I  tohl 
yon  lon^  '^\l^^^  I  v/iil  do  my  nlmost  to  lu'l|)  yon  to  hhvo 
him.  I  liMvc  ninth!  np  my  mind,  Rlaiid,  not  to  ^o 
h'M'k  to  liondon  withoni  yon." 

*'  Hnt,  y\rthnr,  I  coiild  n't  h'nvi!  Wluirton  yet." 

"  I  will  give  yon  till  the  day  after  to-morrow,"  Haid 
Arthnr,  calmly  pro('ee(|in<r  to  ex[)lain  hi^  plan.s.  "  I 
don't  think  cither  of  ns  will  mind  having  no  fnuiry  at 
onr  weddinii' ;  there  will  he  «Mion<;h  of  that  to-morrow. 
A  fashionable  weddinu;  is  a  little  too  nnii-h  of  a  show 
to  snit  my  tiiste.  We'll  jnst  ask  dear  old  Hoh  and 
Miss  Katie,  and  pt'ihaps  IMr.  and  Mrs.  Milwood." 

"  I  am  afiaid  Hob  will  Ik;  almost  too  lame  to  come 
either  then  or  to-moirow,"  said  Maiid,  giving  way 
to  Arlhnr's  arrani^cments  with  mrace,  for  she  had  a 
grcMtt'r  drt!ad  of  beini;  left  alone  again,  now  that  she 
had  once  begnn  to  si)eMk  of  her  tronlth;  to  one  who 
nnderstood   it. 

''  Now,  Maud,  snppose  1  lu-lp  to  pnt  those  papers 
to  righ  s,  !V.:d  then  I  'II  jnst  go  ronnd  to  Mr.  Mil- 
wockI's  and  get  one  of  the  girls  to  come  and  cheer  you 
np  a  little.  1  don't  like  to  think  of  your  stopping  all 
alone  in  this  dismal  place." 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 


TWO   BRIDALS, 


Hi 


ALL  night  the  snow  tell  softly,  and  when  Elsie 
-  drew  back  her  curtain  on  her  bridal  morning 
the  dim  old  street  where  she  had  lived  so  long  was 
beautiful.  The  winter  sunshine  sparkled  on  the  \vhite 
snow  that  covered  the  sloping  roofs,  outlined  each 
window,  and  carpeted  the  rugged  pavement.  It  was 
a  glorious  wedding  day,  but  the  bride  looked  down 
with  sad,  heavy  eyes,  and  told  herself  that  she  en- 
vied the  bright-faced  servant  girl  across  the  way, 
who  was  singing  as  she  swept  the  steps.  "  A  slave," 
Elsie  called  herself,  sold  for  money,  as  much  as  any 
wretched  negress.  Less  than  a  week  ago  she  had 
looked  forward  to  a  happy  marriage  for  love  ;  now  all 
her  hopes  were  dead  ;  nay,  her  very  love  was  dead 
also.  Scalding  tears  of  shame  and  anger  filled  her 
eyes  as  she  thought  of  Stanton.  How^  could  she  ever 
have  loved  him, — base,  treacherous,  mercenary,  as  he 
had  proved  himself  to  be !  Hrw  had  she  been  so 
blind  !  And  yet  even  now  the  remembrance  of  him 
filled  her  with  despair  at  the  thought  of  marrying  one 
whose  love  and  honor  she  had  never  doubted.     She 

394 


1 


TWO  BRIDALS. 


395 


threw  herself  down  on  the  floor  by  the  sunny  window, 
and  wrung  her  hands  and  sobbed  wildly  in  her  pity 
for  herself  at  the  cruel  fate  which  forced  her  to  keep 
her  solemnly  plighted  troth. 

Meanwhile  her  bridegroom  also  stood  beside  his 
window,  but  he  smiled  quietly  as  he  looked  down  into 
the  dazzling  street,  and  thought  how  pleasant  it  was 
that  his  young  bride  shouhl  begin  her  new  life  in  such 
bright  sunshine.  Surely  it  was  a  happy  omen  for 
them  both !  No  notion  that  either  of  them  needed 
pity  crossed  his  mind ;  but  if  he  could  have  seen 
Elsie's  tears  and  heard  her  despairing  moans,  no  wed- 
ding would  have  taken  place  that  day. 

When  he  did  see  her  she  was  clad  in  robes  of  satin 
that  vied  with  the  dazzling  snow,  and  her  pale  face 
and  heavy  eyes  were  half  concealed  by  the  bridal  veil. 
She  swept  up  the  aisle  proudly,  leaning  on  her  father's 
arm,  while  the  organ  pealed  forth  sweet  strains  of  joy, 
and  the  people  stood  up  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  as 
she  passed.  She  had  not  been  into  the  church  since 
the  day  she  helped  to  decorate  it  for  Christmas,  and 
now,  though  it  was  crowded  with  people,  and  though 
the  evergreen  wreaths  were  almost  lost  sight  of  in  the 
wealth  of  hothouse  flowers  that  decked  the  chancel, 
she  wondered  as  she  passed  slowly  on  whether  any 
one  had  provided  the  red  berries  that  she  had  failed 
to  bring. 


396 


THE  EAINPROOF  INVENTION. 


St.  Luke's  Cliui'ch  vviis  a  gnind  place  for  a  wedding  ; 
the  bride  and  bridegroom  and  the  clergyman  could  be 
seen  by  almost  all  the  people  from  the  beginning  of 
the  ceremony  to  the  end.  They  feasted  their  eyes  on 
the  graceful,  white-robed  figure  in  the  chancel  to  their 
hearts'  content,  and  then  went  home  to  describe  the 
jewels  of  the  bride  and  the  dresses  of  the  guests  to 
their  less  fortunate  frieii  Is,  while  Elsie,  sitting  beside 
her  husband  at  the  table  glittering  with  glass  and 
silver,  awoke  slowly  and  painfully  to  a  strange  con- 
sciousness of  defeat.  Mr.  Monitor  had  carried  his 
point,  and  she  was  his  wife  in  spite  of  herself. 

She  heard  little  of  what  passed  at  the  tal)le,  though 
there  was  no  lack  of  the  usual  toasts  and  speech-mak- 
ing. The  guests  were  merry  enough,  if  the  bride  was 
white  and  still.  Kven  Arthur  talked  gayly  to  the 
pretty  little  bridesmaid  beside  him  (though  his 
thoughts  were  a  good  deal  occupied  with  the  wedding 
to  come  on  the  morrow),  till  all  were  obliged  to  be 
silent  to  listen  to  the  speechi's,  long  and  prosy  as  they, 
were.  Presently  every  one  began  to  talk  again,  each 
to  his  neighbor,  flattering  himself  that  all  the  neces- 
sary compliments  had  been  paid,  when  Mr.  Norbury 
was  seen  once  more  \o  rise  in  his  place. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,"  he  began,  looking  hard  at 
Arthur,  "seeing  once  more  at  my  table  one  who  — 
who  —  who  has  long  been  a  stranger  to  it,  I  take  this 


1 


\ 


TWO  BRIDALS. 


397 


opportunity  of  expressing  my  sorrow  that  —  that  — 
misunderstandings  should  ever  have  arisen  between 
us.  No  time  can  be  more  —  appropriate  than  tliis  ex- 
tremely happy  occasion,"  here  he  looked  at  Mr.  Moni- 
tor and  P]lsie,  "  for  what  may  perhaps  be  called  a 
reconciliation  !  " 

Arthur  was  growing  very  hot  and  uncomfortable, 
seeing  which  his  miscliievous  neighbor  whispered, 
"  How  funny  !  they  are  all  looking  at  you,  Mr.  Lester." 
But  Mr.  Norbury  had  recovered  his  breath  and  pro- 
ceeded :  "It  has  seemed  to  me  that  as  many  people 
have  throuc,h  —  one  cause  and  another  become  aware 
of  our  —  our  —  our  quarrel,  in  short,  it  is  uut  fair  that 
I  should  make  my  perfect  assurance  of  Mr.  Lester's 
innocence  of  having  tampered  in  the  least  with  my 
preparation  —  as  widely  known  as  possible." 

At  this  point  Bob  Littleton  threw  in  an  emphatic, 
"Hear,  hear!"  deeming  that  his  employer  needed 
encouragement  in  the  laudable  intention  he  had  just 
expressed. 

"  Therefore,  I  publicly  express  my  sorrow  for  the 
suspicions  which,  if  not  wholly  unwarranted,  were  still 
thoroughly  erroneous,  and  T  trust  that  my  nephew  may 
have  much  success  in  the  line  of  life  — he  prefers. 
To  prove  my  thoroughly  restored  confidence  in  him  — 
i(  may  not  be  wide  of  the  mark  to  state  that  I  have 
tiiis  morning  offered  him  a  partnership  in  my  l)usiness, 


398 


THE  BAINPBOOF  INVENTION. 


and  that  it  is  of  \)\&  own  choice  that  he  will  not  join 
with  me  in  extending  the  undimmed  reputation  of  the 
'  Rainproof  Cloth.' " 

With  this  sublime  conclusion  Mr.  Norbury  sat  down 
amid  a  storm  of  cheers,  led  by  Bob  Littleton,  who 
had  come  to  the  wedding  on  crutches,  and  was  an 
object  of  much  interest  in  consequence. 

Then  Arthur  rose,  and  thanked  his  uncle  in  a  few 
simple  words  for  his  efforts  to  remove  the  effects  of 
his  mistake. 

Bob,  irrepressible  as  ever,  could  hardly  refrain 
from  giving  the  "  Rainproof  "  as  the  last  toast,  but  in 
truth  Mr.  Norbury's  conclusion  to  his  apology  made  it 
unnecessary.  Fortunately  the  bride  retired  at  this  mo- 
ment to  change  her  dress,  and  Bob,  in  the  rearrange- 
ment of  the  party  that  ensued  upon  its  adjournment  to 
the  drawing  room,  found  a  safety  valve  in  a  circle  of 
new  auditors,  anxious  to  hear  the  marvelous  history  of 
hib  Christmas-night  adventures.  "If  it  hadn't  been 
for  the  '  Rainproof  '  I  should  n't  be  here  now,"  he  said 
solemnly.  "It  shows  it's  good  strong  stuff,  at  any 
rate.  I  should  tiiink  a  picture  of  Mr.  Milvvood  com- 
ing down  it,  hand  over  hand,  would  make  a  splendid 
advertisement." 

Elsie  came  downstairs  again  in  a  very  few  minutes, 
looking  even  paler  in  her  dark-red  traveling  dress 
than  she  had  looked  in  her  white  wedding  gown.     Slic 


TWO  BRIDALS. 


399 


said  good  by  to  her  father  and  mother  in  the  same 
apatlietic  manner  that  had  characterized  her  through- 
out the  day,  and  Mr.  Monitor  bhimed  himself  for  not 
having  put  off  the  wedding  long  enough  to  allow  her 
time  to  recover  from  her  illness.  But  he  was  verv 
happy,  and  had  no  doubt  that  Elsie  was  happy  too. 
They  drove  off  at  last  in  a  perfect  hailstorm  of  ri- ■. 
but  even  that  did  not  rouse  the  bride  from  her 
abstraction.  As  the  carriage  turned  the  corner  of 
the  street,  Mr.  Monitor  smiled  and  waved  his  hand, 
but  Mrs.  Monitor  never  loolved  back. 

In  the  night  the  weather  changed,  and  by  morning 
the  drizzling  rain  iiud  melted  and  blackened  the  snow, 
till  the  smoky  town  looked  dirtier  than  ever.  If  it  be 
true  that  "  happy  is  the  bride  that  the  sun  shines  on," 
Klsie's  lot  ouiiht  to  have  been  enviable ;  but,  for 
Maud's  sake,  it  is,  at  any  rate,  to  be  hoped  the 
converse  is  not  true,  for  never  had  bride  a  darker, 
drearier  wedding  day. 

In  other  respects  the  two  weddings  could  not  have 
presented  a  greater  contrast.  There  were  no  car- 
riages at  the  second,  even  the  bride  and  her  single 
bridesmaid  nuuh;  their  way  to  the  little  church  on 
foot,  in  streaming  waterproofs  and  under  dripping 
umbrellas.  There  were  no  finely  dressed  guests ; 
Bol),  on  his  crutches,  and  the  Milwood  family  being 
the  sole  witnesseti  of  the  ceremony.     As  it  was,  Maud 


400 


THE  liAINPlWOF  INVENTION. 


was  surprised  to  see  so  nuiuy  present,  but  tlie  young 
folks  liiid  worked  tlie nisei ves  into  such  ti  state  of 
excitement  about  the  wedding  that  INIrs.  Milwood  had 
consented  to  let  them  come  to  see  it  in  a  body,  on 
condition  that  they  would  be  "  as  still  as  mice." 
They  were  so  overawed  by  the  soleuuiity  of  the 
occasion,  however,  that  such  warnin<ji;s  were  ((uite 
unnecessary.  They  sat  in  a  row  on  the  seat  nearest 
the  chancel,  and  scarcely  dared  even  to  whisper  while 
they  were  waiting  for  the  appearance  of  the  bride. 

She  came  at  last  with  her  hand  on  their  father's 
arm,  and  one  and  all  of  tlu'  children  on  that  front 
seat  felt  a  thrill  of  disai)[)(Mntment  as  she  passed,  for, 
as  they  stud  afterwards,  ''Slii^  looked  just  the  same  as 
usual."  Thev  had  seen  the  soft  i-iav  dress  many  a  time 
before,  and  even  the  long  sprays  of  while  roses  that  ihe 
carried  in  her  hand  did  not  reileem  it  in  their  eyes. 
Katie  was  no  bijtter  ;  she  i)\\\\  wore  her  best  brown 
dress  that  had  already  seen  service  for  a  whole  winter, 
and  her  little  sisters'  ro:nautic  notions  of  weddinjis 
received  a  cruel  shock.  Hut  they  kei)t  their  promise 
nevertheless,  and  the  holy  service  was  not  disturbed  by 
spectators  lidgeting  and  rustling  in  the  background  to 
ol)tain  a  better  view.  A  solemn  calm  reigned  in  the 
dim  old  church  as  Maud  and  Arthur  vowed  before  (Jod 
to  be  true  to  each  other  through  all  the  changes  and 
chances  of  this  mortal  life  till  death  should  part  them. 


Tiro   BRIDALS. 


401 


No  grand  wedding  breakfast  awaited  the  party  on 
its  return  from  ohiirch  ;  but  Hob  Littleton,  who  had 
constituted  himself  master  of  the  ceremonies,  did  not 
permit  the  informal  lunch  to  pass  without  a  little 
speecii-making,  which  the  children  a[)[)lauded  vehe- 
mently. And  tiiongh  it  still  raineil  when  the  bride  and 
bridegioom  took  their  tle[)arture,  he  hobl)led  on  his 
crutches  to  the  door,  and  threw  after  thenj  not  only 
rice,  but  all  the  old  siioes  he  could  collect. 

The  bridesmaid  lingered  beside  him  in  the  porch, 
while  her  small  brothers  went  to  gather  up  the 
scattered  shoes  of  the  family,  which  Bob  had  flung 
into  the  mud  in  his  reckless  anxiety  for  the  good  luck 
of  his  friends. 

"  I  'm  sorry  they  are  gone,"  said  Katie  with  a  sigh. 
"  I  shall  miss  Maud  dreadfully." 

Bob  scarcely  seemed  to  hear  her  remark.  "  If  ever 
I  am  married,  Miss  Katie,  and  I  hope  1  shall  be  some 
day,"  he  added  audaciously.  "  I  should  like  a  wedding 
just  like  this,  with  no  staring  people  counting  up  the 
cost  of  the  clothes  yon  wear,  or  the  presents  you  have 
received.  Miss  Norbury's  wedding  could  n't  hold  a 
candle  to  this." 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 


AFTER     SEVEN      YEARS. 


AGAIN  the  bells  rang  joyously  through  mist  and 
darkuess  and  cloudy  weather.  Once  more  at 
Christmas  time  the  earth  was  bare  and  brown  as  it  had 
been  seven  years  before. 

The  bells  were  ringing  for  the  morning  service  at 
St.  Luke's,  when  a  shabby,  do vucast-looking  man 
passed  slowly  up  the  path  and  lingered  in  the  porch, 
watching  the  gayly  dressed,  well-to-do  members  of  the 
congregation  as  they  streamed  up  the  steps  into  the 
old-fashioned  church.  His  clothes  were  thin  and  poor, 
but  he  did  not  seem  to  notice  the  cold  as  he  stood  with 
drooping  shoulders  and  bowed  head  looking  dreamily 
into  the  street.  Presently  a  party  of  three  came  up 
the  path  and  he  started  and  scanned  their  faces  keenly. 
One  of  ..lem,  a  lady  richly  dressed  in  silk  and  furs, 
still  young  but  discontented  in  expression,  spoke  in  a 
complaining  tone  to  the  pleasant-faced  elderly  gentle- 
man on  whose  arm  she  was  leaning.  "  I  told  you, 
Henry,  that  it  was  of  no  use  hurrying.  We  are  late, 
as  we  were  sure  to  be.  You  know  how  mucli  I  dislike 
walking  fast,  and  Dr.  Thay  says  it  is  positively  dan- 
gerous for  me." 

402 


AFTKR   SEVEN   YEARS. 


403 


Her  companion  niiule  no  reply,  and  she  was  sweep- 
ing np  the  steps  witliont  a  glance  at  the  shabby  stran- 
ger by  the  door,  when  she  dropped  her  prayer  book. 
Instinctively  the  man  stooped  to  pick  it  up,  and  was 
rewarded  with  a  pretty  "Thank  you!"  and  a  smile 
that  banished  all  traces  of  discontent. 

But  he  scowled  and  turned  away.  He  knew  that 
face,  that  smile,  too  well.  "  So  she  is  just  the  same," 
he  muttered.  Carelessly  he  sauntered  on.  It  was 
Christmas  Day,  but  what  was  that  to  him?  Up  and 
down  the  town  he  wandered  without  taking  food  or 
rest  all  through  that  gray  winter  day.  As  the  dusk 
began  to  fall  he  left  the  closer  streets  and  walked 
feebly  and  uncertainly  along  the  road  where  Elsie  had 
been  so  much  frightened  seven  years  before.  The 
grim,  old  house  still  stood,  black,  silent,  and  empty, 
and  opposite  glimmered,  as  of  old,  the  white  grave- 
stones of  the  cemetery,  only  they  were  more  in 
number.  It  was  growing  dark,  almost  too  dark  to 
read  the  names  upon  the  monuments,  but  he  went  in 
and  wandered  among  them,  puzzled  by  the  changes. 
At  last  he  found  the  one  he  sought  and  lay  down  on 
the  damp  earth  beside  it,  to  dream  of  his  dead  mother. 
But  racking  pains  awoke  him,  and  he  rose  and  stumbled 
back  to  the  town  with  a  new-made  purpose  that  seemed 
to  have  come  to  him  in  his  dreams. 

He  made  his  way  straight  to  Mr.  Norbury's  door 


404 


THE   JlA/XrnOOF  INVENriON. 


and  demanded  to  Hue  the  iiiiimilMctiirer  on  business. 
After  some  deniiir  lie  was  shown  into  the  room  where 
JNIr.  Norbury  and  JMr.  Monitor  sat  toijjether  after 
dinner. 

Seven  years  is  a  long  time,  bnt  it  had  not  altered  the 
ap[)ear!inee  of  anythinui  in  that  room.  Tlie  stranger 
sto(jd  and  stared  abont  him  with  an  aspect  so  odd  y<'t 
so  forbiddinjj;  that  both  i^tMitlemen  wondered  why  he 
liad  come  and  what  was  the  matter,  thoni^h  neither 
adilressed  him  till  he  S[)olve.  Mis  lirst  words  staitled 
them,  "I  have  come  to  tell  you  wluit  my  share  wtis  in 
the  theft  of  your  secret,  Mr.  Nor  bury." 

'•  Who  are  you?"  cried  th;it  <;t'ntleman. 

''  I  am  lval[)h  Warrington.  It  is  well  that  no  one 
knows  me ;  I  have  disgraced  my  name  sulliciently 
without  using  it  now.  I  have  borne  another  for  years, 
for  no  other  Warrington  was  ever  a  drunkard,  a 
thief ! " 

"But  the  secret?"  demanded  INIr.  Noibury  eagerly. 

"  1  will  tell  you  till,  if  I  can  remember,"  said  War- 
rington, pausing  with  a  puz/led  expression.  "  It  is  so 
long  ago.  Mark  Stanton  managed  it  mostly  ;  I  only 
helped  him." 

With  many  breaks  the  story  was  told  in  a  confused, 
disorderly  fashion  that  made  it  hard  to  understand, 
but  it  added  little  to  what  they  h:id  already  known  or 
guessed,  and  when  at  last  he  turned  to  go  Mr.  Norbury 


AFT/'JIi   SKVICX    Yl'JAJiS. 


406 


mado  no  clTort  to  Hiop  liiin,  for  («vtMi  Iuh  lon<r.|uirrti'(l 
roHi'iitiin'iit  (lit'd  jiway  :it  (ln'  sii^lit  of  tli«'  wivi-k  before 
him.  Clod  luul  piiiii.sluMl  liiiii  in  leaving  liiiii  to  j^o  liin 
own  ill  way  nncliecikcd. 

As  Kalpli  roaclicd  llie  door  Elsie  entered  the  loom. 
She  looked  at  Ihe  stranger  in  astonishment,  then  came 
forward  with  her  hand  extended  and  ;•  smile  npon  her 
fac(!,  saying",  "  I  did  not  reco<i;ni5?e  yon  this  morning, 
bnt  it  is  i\Ir.  WarriniL!;ton,  is  it  not?" 

Ralph  bowed  with  a  hanghtiness  that  bronght  back  to 
their  remomltrance  his  stiff  and  stately  manners  in 
old  times,     lie   did  not  take   the  ontst retched  hand. 

I^ilsit!  was  not  to  be  so  re[)nlHed.  ''  I  see  that  yon  do 
not  renuMnber  me,"  she  said,  more  gracionsly  than 
before.  "  1  shall  have  to  get  you  to  reintroduce  me, 
papa,"  she  adde<l  with  an  attempt  at  playfnlness  that 
seemed  strangely  out  of  keeping  with  that  bowed, 
trenndons,  shabby  (ignre. 

"There  is  no  need,  Mrs.  Monitor,"  replied  Warring- 
ton, frowning.  "  I  do  remeinber  yon;  to  my  dying 
day  I  shall  never  forget  you.  I  would  not  touch  your 
hand  if  I  were  drowning,  though  my  own  is  not  tpo 
clean.     You  and  Stanton  made  me  what  I  am." 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  cried  Elsie  with  hot  cheeks 
and  Hashing  eyes. 

"  I  am  a  thief  ;  but  what  are  yon  ?  What  are  you, 
Elsie?" 


406 


THE  UAlNrUOOF  INVKXTIOX. 


*'  The  man  must  be  mud  !  "  cxchiiiiUMl  Mr,  Monitor. 
"  Sir,  be  good  enough  to  leave  this  room.  I  will  uot 
permit  you  to  iiiHult  my  wife." 

'*  You  ure  not  one  whit  better  than  I,"  continued 
Iltdph,  Htill  iiddreHsing  Klsio.  '"  Your  htuid  in  not  lit 
to  be  touched  even  by  such  ti  one  tin  1  am.  Lying 
wordw,  hollow  smiles  "  — 

"Send  him  jvwjiy,  Henry,  quick  I  Make  him  go!" 
cried  Mrs.  Monitor,  drawing  out  her  handkercliief  ;  but 
Ralph  left  the  room  with  a  brief  "Good  night,"  and 
went  out  into  the  darkness  again.  He  had  meant  to 
seek  some  huniLiv;  lodging  for  the  night,  but  once  out- 
side he  thought  no  more  about  obtaiuing  rest  and 
shelter. 

In  anger  and  excitement  he  wandered  on  down  the 
still  familiar  streets,  and  sank  at  last  in  sheer  exhaus- 
tion on  the  doorstep  of  a  great  new  building  which  he 
did  uot  know  was  Mr.  Norbury's  factory.  It  was 
more  commodious  and  handsome  than  thi'  old  one, 
though  it  was  built  on  the  san)e  spot,  for  Mr.  Norbury 
had  prospered  exceedingly.  Rumor  said  his  business 
had  doubled,  but  rumor  sometimes  exaggerates. 

Ralph  lay  on  the  doorstep  and  thought  drearily  of 
all  that  had  happened  since  the  terrible  night  he  fled 
from  Wharton  with  Mark  Stanton.  He  still  faintly 
remembered  the  weary  days  of  hiding  after  they  had 
heard  that  the  mill  was  burnt,  and  then  a  long  voyage 


AFTJ'Ui   HKVKX   YEARS. 


407 


go: 


on  some  little  .sjiiliiig  vessel ;  but  after  that  tiiere  hud 
beeu  fi  l)hiuk,  uiul  he  had  wakened  in  a  hospital  in  New 
York,  weak,  helpless,  and  penniless,  lie  had  never 
seen  Mark  sjjice,  and  had  lived  he  seareely  knew  how, 
working  on  farms  or  rouds  oi»  railways.  Often  drink- 
ing, sometimes  almost  starving,  he  had  sunk  to  the 
level  of  th(!  lowest.  He  had  never  written  hoin(! ; 
what  could  ho  say?  But  at  last  he  had  worked  his 
passage  back  to  England,  careless  whether  he  were 
punished  or  not,  but  only  anxious  to  see  his  sister's 
face  once  more. 

But  now,  as  he  lay  on  the  doorstep  the  vague  hope 
that  had  drawn  him  home  seemed  to  be  failing  him. 
Ho  lost  all  consciousness  of  what  he  had  meant  to  do, 
and  dreamed  wild,  feverish  dreams,  between  waking 
and  sleeping,  of  Maud  and  Elsie,  of  Stanton  and  the 
secret,  and  always  and  through  it  all  of  his  dead 
mother.  There  he  lay  on  t'le  joyous  Christmas  night, 
in  shabbiuess,  poverty,  degradation,  —  unsheltered 
and  friendless,  and  so  changed  that  those  who  had 
loved  him  best  in  the  old  days  could  hardly  have 
recognized  him. 

While  he  lay  there  others  kept  "  merry  Christmas." 
At  the  Milwoods  a  gay  party  had  gathered ;  they 
were  all  at  home  together  for  the  first  time  for  many 
years;  Hugh  from  India,  Charley  from  London,  ana 
Katie  with  her   husband  and   two  pretty  dark-eyed, 


408 


THE  liATNrnoOF  INVENTIOn. 


rollicking  children,  from  her  new  home  on  the  other 
side  of  Wharton.  She  had  married  Bob  two  years 
after  the  burning  of  the  factory,  and  in  s|)lte  of  comic 
songs  and  conspicuous  neckties  counted  herself  a 
happy  woman.  Bob  frequently  declared  that  he  was 
the  "  luckiest  man  alive,"  and  was  accustomed  to 
indulge  liis  cliildrcn  so  recklessly  that  both  mother  and 
grandmother  predicted  their  speedy  ruin.  Happily 
this  prediction  was  as  yet  unfulfilled.  Bob  was  still  in 
Mr.  Norbury's  ollice  and  was  likely  to  stay,  for  his 
employer  h;ul  recently  shown  his  sense  of  his  useful- 
ness in  tlie  [)ractical  fashion  of  raising  his  salary ; 
indeed,  people  began  to  whisper  that  the  master  of  the 
"  Rainproof  "  mills  had  grown  a  shade  more  liberal  of 
late  years,  and  his  work  people  were  not  heard  to 
comj)lain  so  often. 

Mr.  Milwood  also  received  a  better  salary,  and  as 
several  of  his  children  were  now  able  to  provide  for 
themselves,  he  was  in  comparatively  easy  circumstances 
and  enjoyed  life  extremely  in  his  own  (|uiet  way. 

Charley  had  grown  a  little  taller  and  was  nnich  less 
careful  of  his  dignity  than  formerly.  lie  was  still  care- 
ful in  his  dress,  and  wasadecidedlv  good-looking  voung 
fellow.  His  prospects  were  good  ;  he  was  engaged  to 
be  married,  and  was  as  r^ady  now  to  laugh  at  his 
boyish  admiration  for  Afrs.  Monitor  as  Bob  himself. 

Hugh  was  anxious  to  keep  Christmas  in  the  good  old 


AFTER   SEVEN    YEARS. 


409 


way,  aiul  though  the  "  little  Mil  woods  "  wore  little  no 
longer,  their  small  visitors  formed  uu  exeelleut  excuse 
for  blindman's  buff  and  puss  in  the  corner,  for  Maud 
and  Arthur  had  brought  their  two  children  to  spend 
Christmas  in  Wharton,  and  they  were  staying  for  a 
day  or  two  at  Bob  Littleton's. 

Naturally  the  thoughts  of  all  the  elder  members  of 
the  party  wandered  back  pretty  often  to  that  memora- 
ble Christmas  when  Hugh  wa«  last  at  home,  llob 
especially  indulged  in  reminiscences  of  their  adven- 
tures that  excited  the  young  folks  to  ask  all  kinds  of 
(juestions,  which  in  INIaud's  presence  at  least  were 
difficult  to  answer. 

'"Mr.  Norbury  took  out  a  patent  for  his  improved 
process  soon  after  our  adventure,  Hugh.  I  think  that 
sickened  him  of  secrets,"  said  Hob,  ''and  they  say  he 
is  piling  ui)  money  now  like  anything." 

Maud  had  left  the  room,  and  Hugh  asked,  "  Has 
anything  ever  been  heard  of  Ralpli  since  that  night?" 

"No;  we  all  think  he  nnist  be  dead;  but,  oddly 
enough,  1  heard  something  about  Stanton  the  other 
day.     You  remember  Johnson,  don't  you,  Cliarley?" 

"Yes,  he  went  to  America,  or  somewhere,  didn't 
he?" 

"  Yci? ;  I  had  a  letter  from  him  yesterday,  and  he 
told  me  that  by  the  queerest  chance  he  had  run  across 
Mark  Stanton  in  San  Francisco.     He  had  nothing  to 


'r 


m: 


410 


THE  JiAINPEOOF  IXVENTIOX. 


do  one  nioht  iiikI  wout  to  a  lecture  on  '  The  History  of 
Mankind  as  Written  in  the  Book  of  Nature  ' ;  all  about 
cave  men  and  the  niouiul  builders  or  some  sucli  fel- 
lows. It  was  rather  i2;ood,  he  said,  and  the  hall  was 
crowded,  for  there  had  been  no  end  of  a  fuss  in  the 
[)ai)ers  about  the  '  great  scientist  and  lecturer,  Martin 
Sandford '  !  lie  had  been  travelini;'  all  over  the 
States,  and  got  1  don't  know  how  nuicli  for  each  lec- 
ture ;  but  Johnson  said  directly  the  fellow  began  to 
speak  he  felt  as  if  he  were  back  in  the  old  office 
again.  Then  the  truth  Hashed  upon  him ;  it  was  no 
one  in  the  world  but  Mark  Stanton." 

"  Mark  Stanton  lecturing  publicly  !  "  they  exclaimed. 

".lohnson  was  thunderstruck  at  first,"  continued 
Bob;  "then  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  might  know 
what  had  happened  to  Warrington  and  he  went  to  call 
at  his  hotel,  t'.ie  best  in  the  place,  by  the  way.  He 
asked  jii,n  straight  out  about  Italph,  but  at  first  he 
:lenied  that  he  had  ever  even  heard  of  such  a  fellow  as 
ISIark  Stanton  at  all.  Wh(!n  he  saw  his  lying  was  of 
no  use,  however,  he  declared  that  he  knew  nothing 
about  Ralph  ;  that  he  had  left  him  ill  in  a  hospital  in 
New  York,  and  that  when  lit;  came  back  to  look  ;ifter 
him,  he  was  gone,  no  one  knew  where.  That  vvi'S  all 
clolmson  C(Mdd  get  out  of  him,  and  no  one  knows 
whether  it  is  true.  Did  you  know  that  Stanton  was 
married  before  he  left  England,  Arthur?" 


AFTER    SI'JVl'JN    YEARS. 


411 


)rY  of 
about 
b  fel-  , 
1  was 
n  the 
lartin 
r  tlie 
h  lec- 
aii  to 
office 
jras  no 

aimed, 
itinued 
,   know 
to  call 
y.     He 
irst   he 
illow  as 
was  of 
iiothin<!; 
pitiil  in 
)iv   ifter 
wt'S  all 
knows 
ton  was 


k 


"  No,  sni»-ly  not!  " 

"  ^'('S  ;  .lohnsoii  saw  his  wife,  a  very  [)retty  younjj; 
lady,  indeed,  who  st't'incMJ  to  tliiiik  hci'  prin-itMis  seanij) 
of  a  hiisltand  as  ^ooij  as  lie  was  ch'Vfr  !  Johnson  said 
he  seenuMl  tenihly  afraid  of  iier  hearinii  ahout  his  doings. 
Poor  wrelcli  !     I  dare  say  he  "s  niiseiahh^  en(jiii;h." 

'•  Stanton  was  a  pheasant  relh)\v,"  said  Charley. 
''It's  a  i)ity  lie  (in-neil  out  so  badly.  Siiall  yon  tell 
Mr.  Norbnry  about  hiui?  " 

''  Not  I  I  besides,  it  would  n't  be  of  any  ns»?.  He 
deeain[n'd  in  all  haste  the  Ncry  ilay  .lohnson  saw  him. 
Von  know  I  always  nseil  to  think  he  was  one  of  IMiss 
.Norbnry's  adnnrers.  Perhaps  she  drovi'  the  [>oor  fel- 
low frantie,  and  then  wouhl  n"l  have  aiiythim;  to  say 
to  him." 

Charley  lau<j,hed,  saying,  "  Yon  see  as  far  throntih  a 
brick  wall  as  most  [)i'ople,  don't  you,  P>ob?  'I'alking 
of  IMrs.  Monitor's  oM  admirers,  what  has  become  of 
Dr.  'I'hay  this  Christmas?  1  didn't  see  him  at  chureh 
this  mornin'4." 

"'  Did  n't  you?  he  was  there,"  said  Katie,  ''  and  his 
wife,  too;  liut  iie\er  miml  them.  I  wanted  to  ask 
Artiiui',  while  I  lia\e  a  uooil  ehanei',  wliether  it  is  ti'ue 
that  he  has  written  anolliei'  new  Itook?" 

Arthur  smiled.  ''  Yt's,  I  will  semi  it  to  yon  as  soon 
4IS  it  is  jirinted.  Did  you  know  that  Maud  illus- 
trated it  fur  me?" 


412 


THE  liAINPIiOOF  INVENTION. 


M 


Arthur  had  been  steadily  gaining  ground  as  a  novel- 
ist, and  his  last  book  had  been  a  success  from  every 
point  of  view,  but  he  was  still  working  earnestly  at 
the  social  problems  that  interested  him  so  much. 
Even  as  it  was,  his  stories  had  thrown  light  into  many 
dark  places,  and  had  been  the  means  of  drawing  atten- 
tion to  abuses  of  long  standing,  but  he  hoped  soon  to 
do  more  direct  work  with  his  pen  for  the  good  of  tlie 
toiling  classes.  One  curious  result  had  followed  his 
success ;  his  father's  family  had  suddenly  recognized 
him,  and  now  that  he  was  well  able  to  face  the  world 
unaided  they  were  prodigal  of  offers  of  assistance. 
Arthur  courteously  refused  them  all,  and  Maud  reso- 
lutely held  aloof,  and  refused  even  to  visit  with  the 
family  at  Dene  Manor  with  a  touch  of  the  old  self- 
assertion  that  had  been  so  sorely  repented  of.  But  it 
sometimes  cropped  uj)  still,  more  often  now  on  her 
husband's  account  thr.n  on  her  own. 

She  and  Arthur  lingered  behind  the  others  as  they 
walked  slowl}'  to  Bob  Littleton's  house.  It  was  late, 
and  the  quiet  streets  were  as  silent  as  they  had  been 
when  the  u)ill  was  burnt.  On  the  ste[)S  in  front  of 
the  factory  lay  a  dark  figure,  moaning  and  muttering. 
They  passed  it  with  a  pitying  glance ;  the  next 
moment  Maud  turned  back  with  a  wildly  beating 
heart,  for  there  was  a  sudden  shriek  of  her  own 
name. 


AFTER   SEVEN'  YEARS. 


413 


4 


next 


In  another  second  she  was  beside  her  wretched 
brother,  kneeling  on  the  stones.  He  did  not  know 
her,  either  then  or  for  many  days  afterwards.  In  the 
ravings  of  his  fever  they  learned  something  of  the 
wicked,  miserable  life  he  had  lived  since  he  left 
AVharton  ;  not  all,  but  too  much.  And  in  her  bitter 
shame  for  him  Maud  tried  to  keep  every  one  but 
Arth';r  ':»ut  of  his  room.  It  was  days  before  the  fever 
left  liim,  and  then  it  was  too  late.  Intemperance, 
privation,  and  remorse  had  done  their  work,  and  he 
was  sinking  fast.  But  he  had  come  to  his  right  mind, 
his  mother's  prayers  were  answered,  even  in  his  last 
hours.  He  was  ready  at  last  to  say,  "  Father,  I  have 
sinned,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son. 
Make  me  as  one  of  thine  hired  servants."  He  no 
longer  blamed  either  Elsie  or  Stanton  as  he  blamed 
himself.  Maud  thanked  God  that  his  eyes  were 
opened  at  last,  and  asked  forgiveness  for  her  own 
want  of  faith  and  patience,  that  though  she  had 
prayed,  she  had  scarcely  looked  for  tiie  answer,  for 
a  dreadful  unspoken  fear  had  gradually  grown  up  in 
her  mind  during  these  years  of  waiting  that  Ral[)h 
was  l)e.yond  God's  promises  and  out  of  the  reach  of 
his  mercy.  Now  she  was  ashamed  to  have  so  wronged 
him,  and  in  her  share  of  the  trials  that  come  to 
every  one  she  took  courage  from  the  darkness  of 
the  past. 


414 


THE  liAlNriiOOF  INVEXTION. 


Little  now  roimiiiis  to  In;  said,  Klsiu,  in  spite  of  ii 
slowly  growiiJji;  esteem  for  her  luishund,  In'eanie  more 
diibconteiitecl  uiid  not  less  fond  of  luliiiirutioii  us  she 
grew  older,  so  that  it  ixMiuired  all  I\[r.  Monitor's 
philosophy  and  serenity  to  prevent  their  lives  j)eing 
alto<iether  stormy.  Vet  to  the  end  of  his  days  his 
qniet  devotion  to  his  wife  tnidnretl  tla;  continnal 
friction  of  hei-  whinjs  and  humors,  and  his  love  for 
her  was  scarcely  less  than  in  the  hai)py  time  when 
he  had  thought  her  almost  j)erfeot. 

^Ir.  Norhury  lived  to  add  largely  to  his  possessions 
and  to  carry  the  lirilliant  reputation  of  the  "  Rain- 
proof "  into  new  legions.  From  the  force  of  iiahit  he 
continued  to  strain  every  nerve  to  make  money  long 
after  he  had  much  more  than  he  could  con\-enicntly 
spend  under  his  wife's  management.  At  length  he 
became  mayor  of  Wharton,  ;uid,  devoting  his  un- 
doubted talents  for  business  to  the  weal  of  his  towns- 
people instead  of  himself,  discovered  a  new  interest  in 
life.  He  enjoyed  the  connnendations  of  his  fellow  men 
for  the  way  in  which  he  discharged  his  trust  more  than 
lie  cared  to  confess,  :ind  labored  m:infully  to  deserve 
them.  On  the  occasion  of  a  royal  visit  Ik;  was  knight«Ml, 
and  "self-made  man"  Ihougli  lie  was.  he  liked  the 
sound  of  his  new  name.  "Sir  James  Norbury" 
sounded  very  well  indeed,  and  the  [)eople  of  Wharton 
begun  to  feel  proud  both  of  his  title  and  himself. 


'niC' 


